BACOLOD City – A suspected member of the New People’s Army (NPA) was killed while another was wounded and captured during an encounter between an alleged group of rebels and government troops in Sitio Tambo, Barangay Santol, Binalbagan, Negros Occidental.
The Philippine Army’s 62nd Infantry Battalion (62IB) initially named the fatality as “Alyas Dodong” or “Alyas Beboy.” He was believed to be assigned in the said village to do intelligence work with the NPA hit squad Special Partisan Unit. The wounded was identified as Ernesto Amallo.
The clash happened around 4 p.m. on Nov. 22.
Troopers of the 62IB were in hot pursuit operations against suspected rebels who allegedly threatened the family of a village chief, Barangay Captain Charlie Gamboa of Tinongan in Isabela town, when they chanced upon the more or less 15 rebels, a military report said.
The government troops engaged the suspected NPA in a gunfight that lasted for an hour and a half before the alleged rebels retreated to different directions, leaving their dead comrade and another rebel who was wounded during the encounter.
After the soldiers’ encounter, five suspected rebels were also arrested; Maricar Estoya, Merencia Guardia, Elizabeth Antrone, Jorgen Lizajo, and Erlenda Garsola.
Lieutenant Colonel Egberto Dacoscos, 62IB commander, said the encounter took place when the troops responded to information about the rebels’ presence in the area in the past days.
On Saturday afternoon, the 62IB released the photo of the killed NPA fighter, found holding a .45-caliber pistol.
Soldiers found personal items, such as clothes, slippers, rubber boots, hand-held radios, electrical wires, as well as cooking utensils and foodstuffs in the area, which served as the rebels’ hideout.
Police crime scene operatives were still investigating the encounter site as of Saturday afternoon.
Brigadier General Benedict Arevalo, 303rd Brigade commander, said they would continue to hunt the NPAs who, he said, were sowing fear and terror among residents in the area.
He said the incident “should serve as a warning to the NPAs. They cannot get away from the law forever.” (With a report from PNA/PN)