By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
BACOLOD City – Two New People’s Army (NPA) rebels were killed in a gun battle with troops of the Philippine Army’s 62nd Infantry Battalion (62IB) in Barangay Buenavista, Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental over the weekend.
Authorities identified one of the fatalities as Michael “Raymund” Asuncion whose remains were recovered after the encounter on Saturday, Oct. 29.
On Monday morning, Oct. 31, the 62IB recovered the body of the second casualty, Marlon “Max” Albino of Barangay Trinidad, also in Guihulngan.
Brigadier General Inocencio Pasaporte, commander of the 303rd Infantry Brigade (303IBde), said soldiers of the 62IB were performing disaster response operations in the area following floods caused by Tropical Storm “Paeng” when they encountered rebels.
Residents they were evacuating informed them about armed men trying to extort local residents in nearby Barangay Planas.
The 62IB sent a team to investigate, and upon approaching the site in Barangay Buenavista, they encountered at least 20 NPA rebels, triggering a 30-minute gun battle.
The rebels tried to retreat, but they got into a second gun battle, which lasted for five minutes in the village’s Sitio Ilihan, Pasaporte said.
Asuncion’s body was later recovered by government forces. It was left behind by fleeing rebels, along with a .45 caliber pistol, a 12-gauge shotgun, a hand grenade, two radios, and two backpacks containing personal belongings and subversive documents.
On Monday morning, following a tip-off by local residents, the 62IB, the 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office, and the Guilhungan City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, recovered the remains of Albino in Barangay Trinidad.
It is believed that Albino was left behind as the fleeing rebels were hampered by conditions brought by the heavy rains experienced in the area in the past few days.
The 62IB is continuing their pursuit operations and believes that the insurgents may have suffered more casualties as evidenced by the traces of blood along their withdrawal routes./PN
