Soldiers kill suspected NPA member in Masbate clash

New People’s Army rebels. AFP FILE PHOTO

LEGAZPI CITY – A suspected member of New People’s Army (NPA) was killed  during a clash with Philippine Army soldiers in the hinterland village of Milagros town in Masbate province over the weekend, the military said on Monday.

Capt. Joash Pramis, the Army’s 9th Infantry Division (9ID) spokesperson, said the still unidentified rebel was among the five-man NPA group who chanced upon a platoon of soldiers patrolling in Barangay (village) San Carlos.

The suspected rebel died during the five-minute firefight that erupted between the two groups at around 9:30 p.m. Sunday.

Later, the soldiers recovered a shotgun and the body of the rebel in the clash site.

Pramis said government troops were scouring nearby areas where the other rebels might have escaped.                        /kga