Joint police and military operatives killed five suspected New People's Army (NPA) rebels in a raid that triggered a shootout in Baras town of Rizal early morning of Thursday.
Col. Joseph Arguelles, director of the Rizal Police Provincial Office, said two of the slain rebels, including a woman, were high-ranking officers of the New People’s Army operating in the southern Tagalog region.
He identified them as Ka Sandra, reportedly a medical officer of the NPA; and Ka Onli, reportedly an intelligence officer for the rebel group. The three other slain rebels are yet to be identified.
Arguelles said the operation stemmed from the report of the presence of a key officer of the NPA in Sitio Malalim in Barangay San Juan.
Police and military operatives then went to the area at around 2:30 a.m. to serve the arrest warrant against a certain Dads, allegedly the head of Finance and member of the Executive Committee of the NPA operating in CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) areas.
But a clash erupted when the rebels allegedly opened fire at the approaching policemen and soldiers.
Confiscated in the clash site were two M16 rifles, a .45 pistol, an Uzi, a .38 revolver and various documents.
Arguelles said there were several communist rebels who were able to flee and are now being hunted down.
Both the government and the NPA did not declare a holiday truce this year.