About 1,000 residents, who were displaced in the series of gunbattles between the military troops and the New People’s Army rebels, have returned to their respective communities in the hinterlands of Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental, said Mayor Raymund Tongson.
But there are about 1,000 persons remaining in evacuation centers and waiting for the go signal from the military for them to return to their residences, Tongson said.
Brig. Gen. Inocencio Pasaporte, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, said that clearing operations are still ongoing in sitios Sig-ang, Medel, and Campayas, all in Brgy. Carabalan, Himamaylan City.
The six gun battles that ensued in the three hinterland sitios of Carabalan claimed the lives of NPA regional commander Romeo Nanta and two Army soldiers, and injured six other soldiers.
Tongson earlier clarified that only about 3,500 residents were displaced by the encounters while the total affected residents were 18,000, as clarified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development./GB
