ILOILO City – The Philippine Army and New People’s Army (NPA) exchanged fire in Barangay Corocuan, Igbaras, Iloilo on June 6.
Troops of the 61st Infantry Battalion (61IB) encountered some 10 rebels while on a combat operation around 2 p.m.
The rebels fled after several minutes of firefight, according to Lieutenant Colonel Joel Benedict Batara, commanding officer of the 61IB.
Soldiers recovered an M16 armalite rifle, bullets, a magazine, a bandolier, an NPA flag, medical supplies, food packs, propaganda materials and personal items.
Batara said all of his men were unhurt. But he believed they may have wounded some rebels, noting trails of blood along the rebels’ escape path.
Batara said his troops checked out the area after having been alerted by concerned civilians about armed men here.
Also, he added, the 61IB received intelligence information that the NPA was planning to sabotage the operation of Century Peak Energy Corp. (CPEC) in Igbaras.
“These terrorists were already declared persona non grata by the people of Igbaras because of their atrocities which hamper peace and development in the area,” said Batara./PN
