• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Two alleged regional leaders of the New People’s Army (NPA) Komiteng Rehiyonal- Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Siqujior (KR-NCBS) died in an encounter with troops of the Philippine Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion (IB) in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental on Saturday.
1Lt. Dan Carlo Samoza, 79IB civil-military operations officer, said the soldiers clashed with about seven rebels in a gunbattle that lasted about 10 minutes at Hacienda Paraiso in Barangay Caduhaan.
The fleeing rebels left behind their two slain comrades, a man and a woman, Samoza said.
They were identified as Hans “Jojo” Ponteras, the acting regional front secretary and finance officer of the Regional Taxation Implementing Group of KR-NCBS, and Marissa “Kim” Pobresa, a former member of the Squad 1, Sentro De Grabidad Platoon of Central Negros 2(D), who became the primary staff of Ponteras and the KR-NCBS regional communication officer.
Troops recovered from the encounter site an M16 rifle with magazine, a caliber .45 pistol with two magazines, a hand grenade, a rifle grenade, and five 40mm high-explosive grenades, along with subversive documents, including extortion letters and documents of high intelligence value.
Last month, 79IB soldiers also figured in an encounter with rebel remnants in the same barangay.
Among the items recovered were extortion letters addressed to some sugar planters and businessmen.
Samoza raised the possibility that the armed rebels encountered by 79IB soldiers also engaged in extortion activities as the campaign period for May 12 midterm elections is ongoing. | GB
