BACOLOD CITY – Five New People’s Army (NPA) rebels were killed in a series of clashes with government forces in Barangay Tapi, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental on Sunday, April 27.

Col. Erwin Rommel Lamzon, spokesperson for the Army 3rd Infantry Division (ID), said that the fatalities were three amazons and two men who were alleged remnants of the dismantled Southwest Front, Komiteng Rehiyon-Negros Cebu Bohol Siquijor (SWF (D), KR-NCBS).
Lamzon said that one of the fatalities was a significant personality identified as alias Pungkol who was tagged as notorious and faced a civil case for murder.
However, no additional details were provided as of this posting time.
Lamzon said that soldiers responded to a report on the presence of unidentified persons occupying a farm house in the area when the first encounter erupted at 5:30 a.m.
Three more clashes occurred while soldiers were pursuing the fleeing rebels.
Lamzon said clashes ended at 6:50 a.m. with the discovery of the five bodies.
Recovered from the encounters were six M16 rifles, one of them with a M203 grenade launcher.
Nobody was wounded on the government side and no civilians were affected as the encounters happened in the isolated part of the barangay, Lamzon said.
Lamzon said the Southwest Front was dismantled last year. He said Pungkol may be linked to alleged tax and extortion activities of Hans Ponteras who was killed in a clash in Barangay Caduha-an, Cadiz City, Negros Occidental on March 8.
Ponteras was the finance officer or head of the Regional Taxation Implementing Group of the KR-NCBS.
The series of clashes in Kabankalan City were led by the 47th, 15th, and 11th Infantry Battalions under the 302nd Infantry Brigade.
Lamzon said that the bodies of the casualties will be taken to an accredited funeral parlor to enable their families to claim them.
He said they have yet to confirm the identities of the fatalities.