6 guerrillas slain in Batangas, Zambales clashes

MANILA, Philippines - Six communist guerrillas were killed and three others were captured in encounters with government troops in Batangas and Zambales in the past two days, authorities said.

Lt. Col. Noel Detoyato, civil-military operations officer of the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division, said men of the Air Force 740 combat group clashed with some 20 New People’s Army rebels at around 4:45 a.m. yesterday in Barangay Mabayabas, Taysan, Batangas.  

Detoyato said a soldier and a guerrilla were wounded in the 30-minute firefight and were brought to the Fernando Air Base Hospital in Lipa City.  

Recovered after the clash were five M-16 rifles, an M203 grenade launcher, two rifle grenades, and a handheld radio. 

Detoyato said NPA fighters in their jurisdiction, which covers Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon, have dwindled to 250 from a peak of more than 2,000 a decade ago. He said 20 of the insurgents are operating in Batangas.

In the Zambales clash, three insurgents belonging to the Rebolusyonaryong Hukbo ng Bayan (RHB) were killed while a policeman, Inspector Rolando Dellezo, was wounded.

Police said Dellezo’s group went to Sitio Macahe-cahe, Barangay Malabon in Candelaria town on Wednesday to verify the reported presence of armed men there, but were fired upon by some 30 RHB rebels, triggering a firefight.

The RHB is the armed group of the Marxist-Leninist Party of the Philippines, which broke away from the Communist Party of the Philippines over a decade ago. – Alexis Romero, Artemio Dumlao, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Ric Sapnu, Ding Cervantes, Non Alquitran and Arnell Ozaeta