Philippine Army (PA) personnel from the Northern Luzon Command (NolCom) have figured in an armed encounter with suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels while they were conducting humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operation in Lasam, Cagayan amid the onslaught of Super Typhoon “Egay”, the NolCom revealed on Sunday, July 30.
Troops from the Philippine Army's 17th Infantry Battalion recover various firearms, ammunition, and personal belongings after an encounter with alleged New People's Army (NPA) rebels in Barangay Sicalao, Lasam, Cagayan on July 27, 2023. (Courtesy of Northern Luzon Command)
Maj. Al Anthony Pueblas, acting chief of NolCom public information office, said members of the 17th Infantry Battalion were on an HADR deployment in Barangay Sicalao last July 27 when one villager spotted at least 15 armed men in a mountainous area of the community.
The 17th IB then deployed personnel to initiate security operations and cover their comrades who were conducting HADR operation. This triggered a 20-minute gunbattle, Pueblas said.
Pueblas identified the armed men as members of the NPA’s Cagayan Provincial Committee (KomProb Cagayan) and Cagayan Valley Regional Committee (Komiteng Rehiyon Cagayan Valley) led by a certain Edgar Bautista alias “Ka Simoy,” the alleged secretary of the West Front Committee of KomProb Cagayan.
No casualty was recorded on both sides but Pueblas noted that stains of blood were left on the trail where the rebels escaped.
The troops also recovered an M16 rifle, an M14 rifle, two shotgun ammunitions, two rifle grenades, 40 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, three backpacks, three claymore mines, four magazines, one hand grenade, and commercial radio at the encounter site.
Lt. Gen. Fernyl Buca, NolCom commander, thanked the concerned citizen who reported the sighting to the military.
“The willingness and active cooperation of the residents and the community to end the local communist armed conflict led to the success of this operation,” he said.
He also commended the troops and reaffirmed his commitment to continue the HADR operations for the victims of Egay in Cagayan.
“No compromises will be made in addressing security challenges. The gains scored against the CTG [communist terrorist group] manifest the military's intensified efforts in pursuit of peace, security and development in Northern Luzon,” Buca said.