BACOLOD CITY – A total of 149 families or 372 individuals were displaced in the latest encounter between the military and the New People’s Army in Barangay Pinapugasan, Escalante City, Negros Occidental on Tuesday, February 27.
TROOPS recovered high-powered New People’s Army firearms in Barangay Pinapugasan, Escalante City, Negros Occidental on February 21, 22, and 27. (Photo courtesy of 3ID)
Lt. Col. J-jay Javines, spokesperson of the 3rd Infantry Division, said evacuees were temporarily sheltered at the barangay hall and Pinapugasan National High School pending clearance from the military to go home.
In a city government Facebook post, Mayor Melecio Yap Jr. suspended classes on all levels in Barangays Libertad, Pinapugasan, Binaguiohan, Paitan, Dian-ay, Magsaysay, Malasibog, and Tamlang on February 27 and 28. Classes will resume on Thursday, February 29.
The 79th Infantry Battalion were pursuing fleeing remnants of the dismantled Northern Negros Front (NNF)-D when another clash erupted in the village, the ninth in a series of gun battles that started on February 21.
Lt. Col. Arnel Calaoagan, 79th IB commander, and staff visited troops on the ground to boost their morale.
Calaoagan urged the community to remain vigilant, report any suspicious activity, and extend full cooperation to enable troops to prevent NPA atrocities.
In a statement, Major Gen. Marion Sison, 3rd ID commander, said they will continue to pursue and destroy NPA remnants to ensure that they will not be able to recover their influence in Negros.
“With Negrenses working alongside the government, we are optimistic that achieving a state of Stable Internal Peace and Security in Negros Island is within our grasp," he said.
Sison also reiterated his call to the NNF-D remnants to return to the fold of the government.
“Your comrades are gradually falling at the hands of our government forces, and your ammunition and weapons are dwindling. It is better for you to surrender now before you suffer the same fate as other NPAs in previous encounters,” Sison said.
Troops recovered firearms, bullets, explosives, and other war materials from these successive encounters.