ILOILO – Four New People’s Army (NPA) fighters were wounded while various firearms, ammunition and subversive documents were recovered after a 10-minute gun battle with government soldiers at the boundary of barangays Manaripay, Calinog, and Cabatangan, Lambunao in Iloilo on Aug. 15.
Captain Kim L. Apitong, officer in charge of the 3rd Division Public Affairs Office of the 3rd Infantry Division (3ID), Philippine Army, said the 12th Infantry Battalion responded to information about the presence of about 10 rebels in the area.
The NPA fighters were “threatening the civilians and conducting extortion activities in the area,” he said in a press statement.
Recovered from the clash site were one AK47 and M79GL firearms, assorted magazines and ammunitions, backpacks, medicine kits, personal belongings, and subversive documents with high intelligence value, Apitong said.
At least four rebel members were wounded as bloodstains were seen along their withdrawal route, he said, citing information from their sources.
Major General Benedict M. Arevalo, commander of the 3ID, acknowledged the local community for providing “noteworthy information.”
“The willingness of the local populace to support the Army indicates that the people are tired and sick of the NPA’s terrorist acts and want peace in their communities,” he said in the statement.
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) – NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
The Anti-Terrorism Council also formally designated the NDF as a terrorist organization on June 23, 2021, citing it as “an integral and inseparable part” of the CPP-NPA that was created in April 1973. (PNA/PN)
