By Tara Yap
ILOILO CITY— The commander of the 3rd Infantry Division of the Philippine Army ordered all units in Negros Island to hunt down New People’s Army (NPA) rebels following an encounter Friday.
Brig. Gen. Eric Vinoya
(Glazyl Masculino/ MANILA BULLETIN)
“I urged all soldiers never to back down. Fiercely hunt these terrorists and bring them to justice,” said Brigadier General Eric Vinoya.
This is in the aftermath of the clash between soldiers of the 62nd Infantry Battalion (62 IB) and NPA rebels in Binalbagan town, Negros Occidental province.
“We will even be using all available military resources just to ensure that NPA will be crushed in due time,” Vinoya said in a statement.
Vinoya also reiterated the warning to NPA rebels to surrender if they don’t want to die.
“Surrender now or be killed. You cannot win the war against the government forces,” Vinoya forcefully said.
Friday’s clash between the 62IB soldiers killed an NPA rebel.
“Whatever happened to one of your comrades in Binalbagan will not happen to you if you will just surrender,” Vinoya assured.
If the NPA rebels surrender, Vinoya also reiterated that they can avail the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).