- GILBERT BAYORAN
Six suspected New People’s Army rebels died in a chance encounter with Army soldiers Thursday night, Sept. 21, in Purok Lubi, Brgy. Tabugon, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, a top-ranking military official said.
Brig. Gen. Joey Escanillas, the Army’s 302nd Infantry Brigade commander, said Friday that the gunbattle ensued after 47th Infantry Battalion soldiers, while on their way to check on the reported presence of armed men in the area, were fired upon by a group of armed rebels on board a tricycle.
Escanillas said that the encounter started at about 8 p.m. Sept. 21 and lasted for about 10 to 15 minutes, that resulted in the death of six suspected NPA rebels, including two women.
There were reports that one of the slain female rebels was pregnant, which according to Kabankalan City Mayor Benjie Miranda, needs to be verified by a doctor.
Escanillas also said that five of the six slain rebels were already identified, three of them e high profile personalities of the South West Front (SWF) of the Komiteng Rehiyonal Negros/Cebu/Bohol/Siquijor (KR NCBS).
Among the fatalities were identified by the military, through their aliases, as Bravo or Peter, a squad leader of SWF KR NCBS; his wife alias Diane; alias Recoy and Kenneth, both serving as vice squad leaders, and alias Rico, a medical officer of the same rebel unit.
Recovered at the encounter site were four caliber 45 pistols, a hand grenade, a caliber 38 revolver, assorted medical paraphernalia, personal belongings and subversive documents of high intelligence value.
Escanillas also said that no Army soldier was injured in the latest encounter.
Miranda, meanwhile, said there was no evacuation of residents in the area or any civilian hit in the crossfire as the encounter site is far away from the populated area./GB
