ILOILO City – Troops of the Philippine Army’s 61st Infantry Battalion and New People’s Army (NPA) rebels clashed on Tuesday, July 11, in Barangay Camandag, Leon, Iloilo.
The army responded to the information sent by residents that there were armed men in the area.
Around 10:45 a.m., an encounter ensued between soldiers and nine rebels under the Sibat Platoon, Southern Front, Kometing Rehiyon-Panay.
The gunfire lasted for about eight minutes before the rebels fled toward the northwest.
An AK-47 rifle, four smartphones, three analog cellphones, one tablet phone, seven backpacks and subversive documents were recovered from the encounter site.
No government troops died or got injured.
This was the second encounter between the military and rebels in Leon in two months.
On June 5, an encounter took place in Sitio Talibong, Barangay Carara-an, Leon.
Brigadier General Michael Samson, commander of the 301st Infantry Brigade, expressed appreciation to the troops and was also thankful for the vigilance and cooperation of concerned citizens.
“Defeating the insurgency is not the sole responsibility of the AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] and PNP [Philippine National Police]. It is a collective concern and responsibility of every member of the society. The Ilonggos are actively contributing to the success of this operation,” Samson said.
On the other hand, the brigade commander assured the community of their safety.
“I urged the remaining terrorists to renounce armed struggle and return to mainstream society, for numerous opportunities await them,” he added. “Ku-konti na lang sila dito kasi we were able to stop them from recruiting and neutralize them from asking revolutionary tax from the businessmen.”/PN
