BACOLOD CITY -- Two New People’s Army (NPA) rebels were killed in an encounter with the military in Sitio Pisok, Barangay Buenavista, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental on Thursday, August 22.
The Army has yet to identify the two casualties -- a man and a woman.
Lt. Col. J-jay Javines, spokesperson of the Army 3rd Infantry Division (ID), said the clash broke out at around 8:40 a.m. when the 94th Infantry Battalion (IB) responded to information on the presence of an armed group in the area.
Soldiers engaged five remnants of the dismantled Central Negros Front 2, Komiteng Rehiyon-Negros Cebu Bohol Siquijor in a five-minute clash.
Recovered from the encounter site were an assault rifle, 5.56mm M16, 7.62mm M14, three magazines for M14 and M16, 20 rounds of 5.56mm ball, seven rounds of 7.62mm ball, a bandolier, and a backpack.
In a statement, Major Gen. Marion Sison, 3rd ID commander, said that the demise of the NPA remnants is a stern warning to the remaining communist rebels in Negros Occidental that waging armed struggle will bring nothing but death.
“Our troops are relentlessly pursuing those who continue threatening and harming the communities, and they will not stop until the last standing NPAs are rendered irrelevant," he added.
He urged remaining NPA rebels to surrender and return to the fold of the law, assuring them of fair treatment and support from the government.
He said that the government is ready to assist them in rebuilding their lives through various programs and initiatives aimed at their reintegration.
Sison lauded the 94th IB for their successful operation.