NPA attack on military outpost foiled

CAMP AQUINO, Tarlac — Government troopers deployed in the upland Tarlac town of San Jose have thwarted an attempt by New People’s Army (NPA) rebels, led by a woman guerrilla, to attack and ransack a remote military detachment last week, belated reports said.

This, even as members of the government peace panel, including Tarlac Gov. Jose Yap, are slated to meet with self-exiled communist leaders in Oslo, Norway for "back-channel" negotiations to jumpstart the on-and-off peace talks with the National Democratic Front (NDF), political wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). Yap is the government panel’s senior consultant.

According to reports reaching this military camp, 15 heavily armed NPA guerrillas, led by a certain Janet Cruz, alias "Ka Libay" and "Ka Laura," attempted to swoop down on the detachment of the Army’s 69th Infantry Battalion in Barangay Maamot last Wednesday morning.

Lt. Col. Preme Monta, spokesman of the Armed Forces’ Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom), said the rebels were even reinforced by another group led by Ernesto Capili, alias "Ka Panday."

The rebel units are under the Iskwad Gerilya-Komiteng Larangang Gerilya Uno of the NPA’s Nelson Mesina Command that is under the jurisdiction of the CPP’sTarlac Provincial Revolutionary Party Committee.

Monta said the guerrillas were repelled when elements of the Army’s 703rd Infantry Brigade, backed by a Commando V-150 armored vehicle, arrived to reinforce the soldiers of the 69th IB. — With James Mananghaya