• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Six suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels died in an encounter with Philippine Army soldiers in Sitio Cogon, Barangay Gatuslao, Candoni, Negros Occidental yesterday.
Brig. Gen. Joey Escanillas, commander of 302nd Infantry Brigade, said that troops of the 47th Infantry Battalion engaged about 10 remnants of the dismantled South West Front.
They also recovered eight high- powered firearms, including five M16 assault rifles, two AK 47 automatic rifles, and M653 assault rifle.
The identities of the six slain rebels were not yet to be established by the Philippine Army as of press time.
Escanillas said that 47IB and 15th Infantry Battalion conducted joint military operations, after they were informed on the presence of armed men in the area.
While on their way to the site, Escanillas said the soldiers encountered the rebel remnants, which led to almost 45 minutes of gunbattle.
He raised the possibility that the rebel remnants may have been conducting recruitment.
Their presence in the area may have also been related to the opposition of left-leaning organizations to the establishment of a palm oil plantation in the village, he added.
In the past years, Barangay Gatuslao had been the site of numerous encounters between government troops and rebels operating in southern Negros.
While the South West Front and South East Front committees have already been dismantled, they are still trying to reestablish their territory through NPA remnants trying to recruit members, or by augmentation of their colleagues from other areas in Negros Island.
The rebels’ cadavers were brought to the town proper for identification of their respective families.
Escanillas described encounter site as a rebel stronghold along the boundaries of Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental.
PCol. Rainerio de Chavez, police provincial director of Negros Occidental, ordered the Candoni police to check hospitals and other medical facilities of any persons being treated of gunshot injuries. | GB
