2 NPA rebels slain, 2 others surrender in a clash in Sorsogon

LEGAZPI CITY — Two suspected communist rebels were killed while two others surrendered to the government troops in an encounter in Irosin town in Sorsogon on Thursday afternoon. Captain John Paul Belleza, Philippine Army’s 9th Infantry Division public affairs chief, said in a report that Army soldiers from the 22nd Infantry Battalion of the 903rd Infantry Brigade and the police were conducting a joint operation when they encountered at least 40 alleged members of New People’s Army (NPA) in the boundary of the villages of Patag and Cawayan at around 1:30 p.m. Belleza said two rebels surrendered before the encounter occurred, one of whom was an alleged platoon leader of a guerilla unit under the Bicol Regional Party Committee of the NPA. But a firefight still ensued, resulting in the death of two still-unnamed rebels, the report said. The report added that the troops recovered six M16 rifles, three anti-personnel mines, and other personal belongings at the clash site.