4 NPA rebels slain in clash with gov’t troops

MALAPATAN, SARANGANI – At least four alleged members of the New People’s Army (NPA) were killed in an encounter with the 73rd Infantry Battalion (IB) in Barangay Upper Suyan here around 1 p.m. on Thursday.

Lt. Col. Marion Angcao, 73rd IB commanding officer, said on Friday the slain rebels were members of the communist Guerilla Front 71.

They were seen near the site where health workers from the province were doing their three-day mass vaccination program because of the reported measles outbreak that killed 18 children.

The military, however, could not yet identify the bodies at the encounter site. ORLANDO B. DINOY