- GILBERT BAYORAN
Six members of an alleged rebel squad unit who are remnants of the dismantled South East Front under the Komiteng Rehiyonal-Negros/Cebu, have surrendered to the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 705th Mobile Company in Santa Catalina, Negros Oriental, and turned over four unlicensed guns, a report from the Philippine Army said.
PLt. Col. Ronan Claravall, RMFB 7 commander, said that the six rebels surrendered a Colt AR 15 assault rifle, an improvised M16 automatic rifle, and two caliber 45 pistols.
The surrender of the six NPA combatants, whose identities are being withheld for security reasons, was facilitated by 705th Mobile Company led by PLt. Donicko Bagtas Angeles, in coordination with other police intelligence units, Santa Catalina Police Station and 11th Infantry Battalion.
This was after the RMFB 7 received an intelligence report that the six remnants of the South East Front, locally known as the Rachel Mae Palang Command, have plans to abandon the armed struggle, Claravall said.
On the other hand, the cadavers of two NPA rebels killed during the Oct. 29 encounter against the government troops in Brgy. Buenavista, Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental, were claimed by their respective families on Oct. 31, according to Brig. Gen. Inocencio Pasaporte, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander.
The slain rebels, who were discovered about 300 meters apart at the encounter site, were identified by the 62nd Infantry Battalion as Marlon Albino, alias Max, and Michael Azuncio, alias Raymund, both members of the Sentro De Grabidad Platoon of Central Negros 1 under KR-NCBS.
Pasaporte said the discovery of their bodies was made on Oct. 30 and 31, after 62IB soldiers followed heavy traces of bloodstains along the rebels withdrawal routes.
Recovered from the encounter site were a 12 gauge long barrel shotgun, a caliber 45 pistol, one hand grenade, two Baofeng communication radios, two backpacks containing personal belongings and subversive documents./GB
