Col. Roderick Parayno, Army chief in Quezon, said soldiers on foot patrol in the village of Sta. Rosa led by Lieutenant Nelmar Rico chanced upon the rebel encampment at 5 a.m. and engaged some 15 armed rebels in a fierce firefight.
The firefight lasted for 15 minutes after which the rebels were forced to abandon their camp and retreated in different directions.
No soldier was hurt in the clash, he said.
Parayno said the soldiers found 11 makeshift shelters or bunkers in the NPA camp.
“The camp could accommodate more than 20 rebels,” Parayno said over the phone.
The soldiers also recovered three explosive devices and a backpack containing communist documents, he said.
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