BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – The Philippine Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade (303IBde) commander, Brigadier General Inocencio Pasaporte, has ordered ground commanders in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental to assess Barangay Carabalan prior to allowing residents to return home.
The area had been the site of at least five encounters between government forces and the New People’s Army (NPA) after the Philippine Army’s 94th Infantry Battalion stumbled into a suspected harboring area of the insurgents.
As of yesterday, pursuit operations against the rebels were still ongoing, and the Army cannot yet allow the residents to return.
According to Pasaporte, they are not discounting the possibility that some of the NPA insurgents who have fled already blended with civilians.
Once ground commanders have given the “all clear” in some areas of Barangay Carabalan, they may allow the residents to return home.
Pasaporte noted that the initial encounter on Oct. 6 was “highly unusual” and speculated that several high-ranking NPA leaders may be in the area.
The speculation was further fueled by reports that the rebels reeceived reinforcements from other NPA units operating in Negros.
“Ako mismo gatingala, ang firefight kadugay, so siling ko to my troops to press on kay waay naman sila ammunition,” Pasaporte said.
He pointed out that his troops’ incessant assaults against the NPA rebels later resulted in the death of Romeo “Ka Juanito Magbanua” Nanta, regional commander of the NPA in Negros.
Pasaporte also pointed to the attempts of the rebels to undermine their operation by misinforming the public that two children were killed in the gun battle so as to force the Army to suspend operations in the area.
“They will do all means to derail our operation but we remain focused on our objective,” said the 303IBde commander.
Following Nanta’s death, Pasaporte believes the government forces in Negros just took a huge step in finally dismantling the rebels./PN
