DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines – Government troops clashed with an estimated 30 members of the New People’s Army in Sta. Catalina town of Negros Oriental yesterday (Monday) morning.
The soldiers from the 79th Infantry Battalion, led by Cpl. Jesus Alamon, were on combat patrol around 9:30 a.m. at sitio Cadlum in Barangay Nagbalaye of the town when they encountered the group of rebels, resulting in a running gun battle that lasted about 10 to 15 minutes.
The rebels were believed to be members of the NPA’s Komiteng Rehiyonal Sentral Bisayas-South East Front (KRSB-SEF), who have been operating in the southwestern part of Negros Oriental.
No casualties were reported during the firefight, after which the suspected insurgents withdrew towards the northeast, according to Lt. Col. Marion Sison, commander of the 79th Infantry Battalion based in the adjacent town of Siaton.
Recovered items from the encounter site were 113 pieces of spent shells of caliber 5.56 M-16, 89 pieces of empty shells of caliber 7.62 M-14, 98 pieces of .30-caliber carbine, a compass, a stethoscope, an sphygmomanometer, six paracetamol tablets, four family pictures, three kilos of corn grits, a bottle of cymbush insecticide and an X-ray film result of a certain Sita Dacaldacal.
Sison said that, due to pressure on the rebels with the continuous conduct of combat operations, the NPA has apparently failed in its purported goal to campaign for the candidates it has been supporting for the May 13 polls.
He also disclosed that the NPA would likely take advantage of the elections by launching tactical offensives against soft targets, military detachments and vital installations, prompting his command to undertake meetings with security officers of these areas.
Sison further said they have been on red alert status since May 1 in preparation for the elections. (FREEMAN)