BACOLOD CITY - A soldier was wounded, while four other individuals believed to be members of the New People’s Army (NPA) were arrested, following a clash between government forces and heavily armed men in Sitio Cunalum, Barangay Carabalan, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental on Thursday.
Maj. Cenon Pancito III, spokesperson of Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, said a member of the 94th Infantry Battalion (IB) was wounded when eight of them engaged five suspected rebels in an encounter while they were verifying reports about the alleged presence of armed men in the area.
The firefight lasted for about five minutes, which resulted in a soldier sustaining a minor wound. He was immediately brought to a hospital, Pancito said.
Pancito said the clash also resulted in the arrest of four suspected members of the NPA’s Yunit Militia deployed on the ground.
Arrested were Francisco Verde Jr., 37; Jovel Pacheco, 41; Gene Boy Verde, 32; and Ronald Pacheco, 22, of the said village, as per military report.
Authorities recovered from them a .22 caliber rifle, two revolver pistols, a homemade shotgun, a 40mm grenade launcher ammunition, and other war materials.
Pancito said the arrested suspects are now under the custody of Himamaylan City Police Station and will be facing charges.
Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Angelo Guzman, 94th IB commander, said reports of NPA extortion activities had been persistent in the area the past week.
“We will hunt these terrorists until all of them are neutralized,” Guzman said, as he stressed that these armed rebels are not allowed to continue sowing fear in the communities.