2 rebels slain in Negros clash

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines – Two suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA) were killed and three others were wounded in an encounter with government troops in Negros Occidental yesterday.

Soldiers belonging to the 62nd Infantry Battalion clashed with the rebels around 4:30 a.m. in Barangay Banquerohan in Cadiz City, the 3rd Infantry Division (ID) said in a statement.

Lt. Col. Ray Tiongson, chief of the public affairs office of the 3rd ID, said the soldiers responded to reports that unidentified men were indiscriminately firing in the area.

A .22-caliber gun and ammunition were recovered at the scene.