BY JEN BAYLON and DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – A series of encounters in the northern part of Negros Island resulted in the deaths of three New People’s Army (NPA) rebels.
A total of three encounters took place between Wednesday, Feb. 21, and Thursday morning, Feb. 22, according to Lieutenant Colonel Arnel Calaogan, commander of the Philippine Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion (79IB).
He also clarified that the encounters took place in Sitio Mansulao, Barangay Pinapugasan of Escalante City, although the village already borders the town of Toboso.
They have yet to identify the three fatalities as of this writing. Locals who checked the bodies in an attempt to identify them stated that the individuals were not from the area.
According to Calaogan, the initial gun battle took place around 11:10 a.m. on Wednesday. The troops responded to a tip-off from a concerned citizen claiming that a group of armed individuals was extorting residents in the area.
A second encounter then took place around 2:17 p.m. which lasted for around five minutes before the rebels scattered in different directions, and followed by a third on Thursday morning.
The rebels are believed to be remnants of the dismantled NPA’s Northern Negros Front, Calaogan added.
It is also strongly believed by the government troops that among the rebels they engaged in the gun battle was NPA leader Arnel Tapang, a wanted fugitive with a P1 million bounty on his head.
Three soldiers and one personnel from the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit were wounded in the gun battles, although Calaogan confirmed they were in stable condition.
The 79IB seized an AK-47 assault rifle, an M653 assault rifle, a .45 caliber pistol, rifle grenades, and anti-personnel mines.
Also recovered are mobile phones, commercial radios, bandoliers, and backpacks containing the rebels’ personal belongings and subversive documents.
Evacuation Up in Toboso, Escalante City Villages
Meanwhile, residents from several villages in Toboso and Escalante City were evacuated after the 79IB called in gunships from the Philippine Air Force (PAF) to pummel remnants of the dismantled Northern Negros Front in Sitio Mansulao on Thursday night.
Lieutenant Colonel J-jay Javines, spokesperson for the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (3ID), said two PAF AgustaWestland AW109 helicopters performed combat air support missions against suspected rebel positions around 7:35 p.m.
Videos posted on social media showed PAF choppers striking rebel positions with machine guns and rocket fire.
The 79IB also pounded the area using their forward guns.
Javines clarified that a risk assessment was made prior to the strikes so as to prevent any possibility of civilian casualties.
He added a total of eight clashes have already been recorded in the area since Wednesday, after the 79IB received information that the NPA rebels were spotted extorting food and supplies from the local residents.
Due to the escalating anti-insurgency operations, Toboso’s Mayor Maddonah Jaojoco declared a suspension of classes in all levels in the town until further notice late Thursday night.
Escalante City’s Mayor Melecio Yap Jr. followed suit, ordering the suspension of classes in elementary and junior and senior high schools in barangays Libertad, Pinapugasan, Binaguiohan, Paitan, Dian-ay, Magsaysay, Malasibog, and Tamlang.
The Department of Social Welfare Development (DSWD) and the Escalante Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office delivered food, medical supplies, mosquito nets, and blankets to the residents who took shelter at the local evacuation center.
Barangay Pinapugasan captain Edgar Rapana said the displaced residents were barred from returning to their homes unless the 79IB deems the area safe.
Earlier on Thursday, Yap appealed to the rebels to surrender, adding they would be treated well and would receive assistance as long as they returned to the fold of the law.
In Toboso, more than 400 residents of sitios Mainit and Mansulao in Barangay San Isidro were evacuated.
The local government provided the displaced residents with hot food as well as rice, canned goods and noodles./PN
