NPA leader, suspected rebel, 2 children slain in Camarines Norte clash

MASBATE CITY— A leader of the New People’s Army, a suspected rebel and his two children were killed in a clash Saturday between Philippine Army soldiers and New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Barangay (village) Malaya in Labo, Camarines Norte, the military said Sunday.

Rafael Llanto, also known as “Gopi” and listed as the vice commander of the NPA’s Rehiyonal Yunit Gerilya (RYG) in Bicol, was killed in the firefight that took place at about 1 p.m. on Saturday, according to Major General Josue Gaverza, commander of the Army’s 9th Infantry Division based in Camp Elias Angeles in Pili, Camarines Sur.

Also slain in the clash were suspected NPA rebel Benjamin Manzera, 54, and his two children who were caught in the crossfire, identified as Michael Manzera, 10, and Richard, 7. Manzera’s daughter Leoneza, 14, was hit on her wrist although another report said she was hit on her thigh.

The casualties, Gaverza said, were identified by the residents of Malaya, a hinterland village of Labo, a neighboring town of Daet, the capital town of Camarines Norte.

Gaverza said Lieutenant Colonel Epimaco Macalisang, commander of the 48th Infantry Battalion based in Labo, sent a platoon of soldiers in Malaya after receiving a tip regarding the presence of rebels in the far-flung village.

In a separate interview, Macalisang could not say if Benjamin was an NPA rebel or a “militia” of the NPA but explained that a firearm was near his body when found by soldiers scouring the house after the rebels fled.

The 10-minute clash broke out when the rebels positioned in concealed areas started firing as soldiers approached the village, said Gaverza.

The rebels fled after the encounter, leaving behind the bodies of their slain comrades.

There were no casualties among the soldiers, Gaverza added.

Seized after the firefight were two high-caliber rifles — M14 and M16 rifles — that were turned over to the Scene of the Crime Operatives of Camarines Norte, said Macalisang.

The bodies of the two children were recovered by soldiers who scoured the area immediately after the clash. The injured girl was brought to the Camarines Norte Provincial Hospital in Daet, where she was now recuperating, said Gaverza.

Gaverza said he was condoling with the family of the slain children but blamed the tragedy on the rebels, whom he said fired the first shot.

“I have offered the Army’s assistance to the bereaved family members of the slain civilians. I am equally saddened by this unfortunate incident wherein these innocent civilians are caught in the crossfire. I have requested the PNP authorities in Camarines Norte to conduct a thorough investigation regarding this encounter,” said Gaverza.

More soldiers, along with elite police operatives, have been dispatched to the area to investigate the incident, he said.

In his version of the incident, Major Angelo Guzman 9th  Army  Infantry Division spokesman, said that the soldiers from the 49th Infantry Battalion were in the area responding to a report from a villager about the presence of at least 15 communist rebels in Malaya, an outskirt village of Labo town.

Guzman said at about 1 p.m. Saturday, while  the Army troopers  were approaching a Nipa hut, NPA rebels armed with high powered assault rifles inside the hut fired at the soldiers, which led to a 10-minute firefight.

Guzman said soldiers clearing the areas later discovered that there were two minors caught in the crossfire and requested the Soco to conduct an investigation.