BACOLOD CITY – A New People’s Army (NPA) rebel was killed in a clash with the 94th Infantry Battalion (IB) in Sitio Bulasot, Barangay Buenavista, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental Wednesday, August 10.
The Army has yet to identify the slain guerrilla.
Brig. Gen. Inocencio Pasaporte, 303rd Infantry Brigade (IBde) commander, said they received information from residents that NPA rebels are conducting extortion activities in the area.
Soldiers responded and resulted in a 40-minute firefight in which an NPA rebel died.
Recovered in the encounter site were M16 rifle with four magazines and live ammunition, a magazine for M14 with live ammunition, and assorted documents of high intelligence value.
Pasaporte said their immediate response greatly helped residents of Barangay Buenavista and protected them from extortion activities and planned atrocities of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA.
Major Gen. Benedict Arevalo, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division (ID), said the encounter was another noteworthy accomplishment of troops in their anti-insurgency drive.
Arevalo reiterated his call to remaining NPA members to surrender and return to the fold of the law or else they will end up with the same fate as their comrade who died in the Army’s relentless combat operation against NPAs.