CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Four Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) rebels were killed during an encounter with the government troops at the vicinity of Kilometer 24, Tikalaan Village, Talakag town in Bukidnon on Wednesday, April 6.
In an official report from the Bukidnon Police Provincial Office (BPPO), the slain NPA rebels were identified as alias Bloom/Wong/Kulay, alias CJ/Zelong/Jovy/Tiga, alias Tata/Tungol, and alias Kian/LJ/Yanyan -- all from Platun Ipad, Sub-Regional Committee 5 (SRC5) of North Central Mindanao Regional Committee (NCMRC).
In a statement on Thursday, April 7, Col. Jun Mark Lagare, BPPO director, said several teams of 1st Special Force Battalion (1SFB) from the Special Forces Regiment (Airborne) were conducting direct action operations when they encountered more or less 30 rebels of the said platoon, Platun Ipad.
The exchanges of gun fires lasted for about one hour and 50 minutes, and the Special Forces got reinforcements from the 1004th Maneuver Company of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 10 and Talakag Municipal Police Station to secure the encounter site and create a choke point.
After the NPA rebels withdrew, the responding police personnel also helped the 1SFB to conduct an investigation and retrieval operation.
Meanwhile, Lagare reported zero casualties from the government troops.
The government forces recovered several high-powered firearms, magazines and many live ammunition from the slain rebels and in the encounter site.
The authorities tried to rush the wounded rebels to the Talakag Provincial Hospital, but were declared dead on arrival due to the gunshot wounds.
The bodies of the NPA rebels are currently at the St. Bernard Funeral Homes at Barangay 3 in Talakag town.