By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
BACOLOD City – The Philippine Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade (303IBde) clarified the reported casualties following Thursday’s gun battle against suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Barangay Carabalan, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental.
In a radio interview yesterday morning, 303IBde commander Brigadier General Inocencio Pasaporte said the reported fatalities in the clash were not verified and no bodies were recovered from the encounter site.
However, Pasaporte said they believe several of the 20 NPA rebels they encountered may have been wounded, citing the trails of blood found along the rebels’ retreat route.
He also slammed the “fake news” that two children were killed in the clash, and even threatened legal action against individuals who were behind the erroneous report.
Pasaporte, however, did not discount the possibility that the NPA may also be behind the “fake news” and that it may have been a ruse to force the government forces to suspend their offensive operations in the area.
As of Friday morning, the Philippine Army has yet to allow the residents who fled the fighting to return to their respective homes; soldiers were still assessing the area pursuing the rebels.
A report from the City Social Welfare and Development Office showed the evacuees at the main evacuation site came from the two most affected sub-villages, Sig-ang and Medel, and the nearby sub-villages of Poblador, Sig-ang, Kampayas, and Yulayla, also in Brgy. Carabalan.
Other evacuees came from Sitio Tonggo in Brgy. Cabadiangan.
Around 60 individuals also fled across the town’s border late afternoon to neighboring Payao in Binalbagan town. Half of them were taken in by former mayor Emmanuel Aranda.
Village chief Mildred Titular of Barangay Carabalan said the sub-villages of Sig-ang and Medel have been emptied of almost all residents, most of them were brought to the main city evacuation site while others opted to stay with relatives near the barangay center or the city proper.
The City Social Welfare and Development Office also recommended bringing all evacuees to the bigger evacuation center, which serves as a forward post for the city and has facilities like a mess hall, kitchen, toilets and shower rooms for men and women, a clinic, and even a play area for children.
Himamaylan City mayor Raymund Tongson said they are waiting for the advice of the military on when they can proceed with evacuating other residents trapped in the ongoing pursuit operations of government forces.
“We still can’t enter the areas of conflict to bring government relief to the trapped residents because of the ongoing operations,” Tongson said.
He advised the people “to pray, stay calm and help one another.”
Earlier on Thursday, clashes in Barangay Carabalan erupted after elements of the 94th Infantry Battalion (94IB) discovered an alleged NPA camp in the area.
Yesterday morning, government forces sent additional reinforcements to the area.
The Philippine Air Force has also sent air assets in the area to locate and destroy the fleeing rebels./PN
