LUCENA CITY –– Government forces recovered weapons left behind by suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels after a clash with government forces in San Narciso town in Quezon province on Tuesday.
Captain Jayrald Ternio, head of the public affairs office of the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division based in Tanay, Rizal, reported on Wednesday that the government forces recovered three M16 rifles, improvised explosives, and ammunition left behind by 15 suspected rebels, who fled following a 20-minute gunbattle with soldiers and policemen in Barangay Abuyon at 1:50 p.m.
Lieutenant Colonel Emmanuel Cabahug, commander of the Army’s 85th Infantry Battalion operating in the area, was quoted in the report as saying that the rebels were led by one Joseph Delos Santos, alias “Ka Ken/Bingot,” who used to be with the Special Partisan Unit (Sparu), the NPA unit operating in urban areas.
No one was hurt from the government forces, but “the casualty count among the NPAs are being validated by the troops who are still conducting pursuit operations,” Ternio said.
Ternio said villagers tipped off the authorities on the presence of the rebels in the area.
Major General Greg Almerol, commander of the 2nd ID, thanked the villagers for the information.
“They disregarded their safety to pass the information to our troops knowing that our society will be better off without atrocities perpetrated by the NPA,” Almerol said.
Government checkpoints have been established in strategic areas to support the ongoing pursuit operations against the NPA rebels on the run.
Ternio said all available military assets in the area have also been placed on high alert.