ILOILO – Three members of the New People’s Army (NPA) were killed in a gun battle with the Philippine Army’s 61st Infantry Battalion (61IB) in barangays Cagay and Danao in Leon town yesterday morning.
The rebel fatalities – two males and a female – were yet to be identified.
Lieutenant Colonel J-Jay Javines, spokesperson of the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, said the encounter took place around 10:20 a.m. between the 61IB troops and rebels from the NPA’s Sibat Platoon, Southern Front, Komiteng Rehiyon-Panay.
Government forces recovered from the encounter site two M16 rifles and subversive documents with high intelligence value.
Javines said this was the fifth encounter in Leon this year.
Before yesterday’s skirmish, the last one was on Sept. 12. Soldiers of the 61IB exchanged fire with the NPA rebels in the mountainous area of Barangay Camandag, Leon.
The Army recovered 12 backpacks with personal belongings at the encounter site./PN
