TACLOBAN CITY—At least 16 suspected communist rebels were killed Monday during a military offensive, including an airstrike, that lasted for 13 hours, in Dolores town, Eastern Samar.
The bodies of 12 men and two women were retrieved from what was suspected to be a New People’s Army (NPA) hideout in Barangay Osmeña, where the rebels allegedly manufactured their explosives.
Major Gen. Pio Diñoso III, the commanding officer of the 8th Infantry Division based in Catbalogan City, Samar, said the bodies would be brought to the town proper, where they would be processed and identified.
If no relative would claim the bodies, he added, they would be given a “decent” burial in a public cemetery.
As of 3 p.m. on Tuesday, the military had yet to transport the bodies to the town proper.
The clash started at 4 a.m. on Aug. 16, when members of the 52nd Infantry Battalion attacked a suspected NPA hideout in Osmeña located 40 kilometers away from the town proper.
Diñoso said the soldiers sought help from the Air Force since they could not enter the rebel camp as it might be surrounded by landmines.
Despite the airstrike, the skirmishes lasted for 13 hours –from 4 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“The (armed battle) took so long because they were trying to protect a high-ranking leader,” Diñoso said.
He could not say if the leader is among the fatalities.
Diñoso also dismissed speculations that there were civilians who died in the encounter, saying the rebel camp was located three kilometers away from where the villagers reside.
No one was killed on the government side.
Recovered from the clash site were 29 high-powered firearms and several improvised explosive devices.
“This is a tactical success for us in our campaign against members of the New People’s Army, not only in Eastern Samar but for the rest of Samar Island,” said Diñoso.
He said he was grateful to the villagers who informed them about the rebels’ hideout.
He promised to protect them, especially that they were anticipating the rebels to retaliate.
Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone, who also leads the Regional Peace and Order Council, lauded the military and the civilians for a “very successful operation.”
He appealed to the rebels to surrender and return to the folds of the law so they could avail of the programs offered by the government and start a new, peaceful life.
“Had it not because of the close cooperation between the military and the local population, the campaign against the NPA would not have been successful,” Evardone said.
“I hope that this kind of close collaboration will continue so that we can attain peace and development in our province and country,” he added./with reports from Robert Dejon, Inquirer Visayas