BY MA. THERESA LADIAO
CAPIZ – Government soldiers clashed with suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels on Sunday, September 1, in Barangay Minan, Tapaz town.
Lieutenant Colonel J-jay Javines, spokesperson for the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (3ID), said that the 12th Infantry Battalion (12IB) had a 20-minute firefight with around five alleged members of the NPA’s weakened Central Front before they fled.
Military assessments indicate that the forces engaged by the 12IB included members linked to aliases “Reagan” and “Concha,” who were high-ranking NPA officials killed in previous encounters in Calinog and Lambunao, Iloilo.
The Central Front, Komiteng Rehiyong-Panay, and Sentro de Gravidad groups have now regrouped, but their total number has dwindled to about 15, said Javines.
He said the group was likely passing through Tapaz in search of food or attempting to escape from the mountains.
Javines said that as of this writing, there was no confirmed information yet on whether there were any casualties on either side due to the remote location of the incident.
The government troops remained in the area, despite heavy rains and lack of communication signals, and continued to monitor possible escape routes, the 3ID spokesperson added./PN
