BY RHENJIE MARIE CALANTAS
ILOILO – As the Oct. 30 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) draw near, expectations of further encounters between government troops and rebels rise.
Major General Marion Sison, commander of the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (3ID), indicated that clashes with rebel groups are an integral part of the military’s efforts to secure areas affected by insurgency or identified as potential concerns for the BSKE.
Despite recent skirmishes, however, Sison reassured the public that their primary focus remains the safety of the populace in their anti-insurgency campaign.
“There is no need for undue fear. Part of the Philippine Army’s campaign, especially the 3rd Infantry Division, is to dismantle the remaining communist groups in Region 6. This includes the recent encounter in Jayobo, and of course, we anticipate more,” added Sison.
On the morning of Sept. 19, the Philippine Army’s 82nd Infantry Battalion (82IB) engaged in a firefight with approximately 10 armed rebels from the Baloy Platoon of the NPA Komiteng Rehiyon-Panay’s Central Front in Sitio Agdalusan, Barangay Jayobo, Lambunao, Iloilo.
During the exchange, Private First Class (PFC) Mars Echevarria died while PFC Joemarie Llesis sustained injuries.
The government troops were in the area following reports of armed individuals involved in extortion and foraging for food when the confrontation occurred.
“The Lambunao incident is part of our ongoing operations, conducted with the support of the community… Unfortunately, we lost one of our soldiers,” said Sison.
Later on Tuesday afternoon, a suspected NPA member was found dead at the encounter site. The unidentified individual, aged approximately 20 to 25 years old, had sustained a gunshot wound to the head./PN
