Suspected NPA rebel killed in Occidental Mindoro encounter

Occidental Mindoro. INQUIRER FILES

LUCENA CITY – An alleged New People’s Army (NPA) member was killed in an encounter on Saturday, Nov. 23, with Army soldiers in Rizal town in Occidental Mindoro province.

In a report, the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division (2nd ID) said that at around 6 a.m. troopers from the 68th Infantry Battalion were tipped off on the presence of an unspecified number of armed men in Barangay (village) Monteclaro.

Soldiers were deployed to secure the villagers but were fired upon by the communist guerrillas.

An exchange of gunfire ensued that lasted 20 minutes after which the rebels withdrew leaving behind the body of their slain male comrade. No casualty was reported on the government side.

The identity of the slain rebel is still being verified, the military said.

READ: Soldier in relief mission wounded in clash with NPA in Albay

The government troops reportedly recovered two M16 rifles and four magazines, 111 rounds of ammunition, two improvised explosive devices and communist documents.

Major General Cerilo Balaoro Jr, 2nd ID commander, reiterated the government call to the remaining NPA rebels to surrender, return to the fold of the law and live peacefully with their families.

“As I keep on telling them, grab the opportunity to live normally through the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-Clip),” Balaoro said.

E-Clip offers free medical treatments, education, housing, and legal aid to rebels who will surrender.

Each rebel can receive cash aid and other benefits to help them and their families to start new lives.

Last week, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) claimed that it has reduced the strength of the NPA rebels from seven active guerrilla fronts to just four.

According to AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr, the four remaining guerrilla fronts are located in northern Luzon, southern Luzon and Visayas.

Brawner said the remaining NPA fighters are now down to 1,111 from the 2,200 rebels last year. The military aims to eliminate the four weakened fronts by the end of this year.

On March 29, 1969, the Communist Party of the Philippines formed the NPA, its armed wing, in a village in Tarlac province. Since then, the NPA has been waging what many observers have described as the longest communist rebellion in the world.#