ILOILO – The Philippine Army and the New People’s Army (NPA) had two successive encounters here in two days.
Yesterday, the NPA’s Baloy Platoon clashed with the 12th Infantry Battalion’s (12IB) Community Support Program (CSP) around 2:55 a.m. in Barangay Alabidhan, Bingawan town.
The firefight lasted for five minutes. The rebels withdrew.
The Army recovered two homemade shotguns, two magazines with 10 ammunition of a .9mm-caliber pistol, two backpacks, shrapnel metal square bars for landmine, 15 meters electrical wire, and propaganda materials.
On April 5, around five members of the same platoon clashed with 12IB around 1:55 p.m. in Barangay Aglubong, Janiuay town.
The soldiers recovered an M16 armalite rifle, M203 grenade launcher, assorted ammunitions, boxes of contraceptive pills, and backpacks containing personal belongings.
No wounded and casualties were reported on both sides.
Major General Eric Vinoya, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division (3ID), acknowledged the CSP teams’ effectiveness in “defending the communities from terrorist infiltration.”
“Our CSP teams are the government’s effective tool in ending the local communist-armed conflict. The communist terrorist group is now very desperate,” Vinoya said.
“Their desperation in stopping of our CSP from bringing the government closer to the people is our motivation in intensifying our campaign to put an end to the decades-long insurgency problem,” the official added./PN
