BACOLOD City – Soldiers of the Philippine Army’s 62nd Infantry Battalion (62IB) overran a lair of the
Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental over the weekend.
The discovery of the rebels’ hideout in Sitio Sulitao, Barangay Buenavista in Himamaylan City on Saturday led soldiers of the 31st Division Reconnaissance Company to pursue the enemies.
The next day, the troops encountered at least 15 communist rebels in Sitio Bugo.
A 30-minutes firefight ensued after which the terrorists withdrew towards Sitio Balatugan.
Recovered from the site were 45 rounds of 5.56 live ammunition and electrical wires for anti-personnel mines along with medical kits and subversive documents.
They also found a poncho, hammock, mobile phone, wallet, and two sweatshirts printed with the letters “NPA.”
Brigadier General Eric Vinoya, commander of Joint Task Force Negros, in a statement said the encounter in southern Negros was part of the intensified campaign to hunt down the remaining NPAs in the island.
“We will be relentless in our conduct of focused military operations to ensure that the Negrenses will be guarded from threats posed by (these) terrorists,” he added.
According to the 303rd Infantry Brigade (303IB), there was no casualty on the government side, but it claimed that at least two rebels were killed during the encounter, based on the accounts of residents and the bloodstains found in enemy positions.
Brigadier General Benedict Arevalo, commander of 303rd IBde based in Murcia, Negros Occidental, urged the troops to continue running after the NPA before the rebels could attack them.
He also called on Negrenses to continue supporting the government forces to stop the communist terrorists from victimizing more people.
The latest encounter in Barangay Buenavista was the third involving troops of the 62IB this year. (With a report from PNA/PN)
