LUCENA CITY – Army soldiers and communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels clashed in Ragay town in Camarines Sur province on Tuesday morning.
Col. Danilo Benavidez, information officer of the Armed Forces Southern Luzon Command (Solcom), said soldiers from the 902nd Infantry Brigade encountered eight rebels in Barangay Cabadisan around 5 a.m.
After five minutes of firefight, the NPA guerrillas retreated in different directions and left one M16 and one M14 rifles.
During the hot pursuit operation, the troops recovered another M16 rifle with attached grenade launcher in the house of a certain Michael Diron, alleged “militiang bayan (people’s militia)” member.
In a statement, Lt. General Danilo Pamonag, Solcom commander, expressed gratitude to the villagers who tipped the military off on the presence of the rebels in the area.
“These simple acts are forms of heroism on their part because they contribute greatly in ensuring the security of the communities and protecting the freedom that our forefathers fought for,” Pamonag said. DELFIN T. MALLARI JR.