NPA rebel killed, 4 soldiers hurt in Davao City clash

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – A suspected member of the communist New People’s Army rebel was killed, while four soldiers were wounded, in a firefight here on Sunday morning.

Lt. Vergel Lacambra, public affairs chief of the military’s 10th Infantry Division, said troops from the 84th Infantry Battalion were conducting a security patrol when they encountered a group of communist guerrillas in Sitio Pamara, Barangay (village) Sibulan in Toril District.

The NPA, numbering about 30, traded gunfire with the soldiers that lasted for about 20 minutes.

A body, along with three M16 Armalite rifles, was recovered from the clash site, Lacambra said.

Four soldiers were wounded in the clash.

On Saturday, government forces also clashed with at least 20 NPA guerrillas in Sitio Salagunting, Barangay Fatima in the Paquibato District here.

There were no reported casualties in the incident, Lacambra said.

The border districts of Paquibato and Toril are known as hotbed of the communist movement in Davao City.

Peace advocates have been calling on both the government and the National Democratic Front to resume the peace negotiations to address the root causes of the conflict.

In the Hague Joint Declaration in 1992, both parties agreed to tackle substantive agenda including human rights and international humanitarian law, socio-economic reforms, political and constitutional reforms, end of hostilities and disposition of forces.

In March 1998, both parties signed the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL).

The government and the NDF panels have already formulated their drafts for the Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-Economic Reforms (Caser) but the process has not made any progress after the talks hit a snag.

The guerrilla war in the country is one of the longest running communist movements in Asia. SFM