Quezon clash: soldier, NPA rebel killed; 4 soldiers wounded

LUCENA CITY – An Army soldier and a suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebel were killed in a clash in Atimonan, Quezon, on Sunday afternoon.

Major Angelo Guzman, spokesperson of the Armed Forces Southern Luzon Command (Solcom) based in Camp Nakar in this city, said aside from the two casualties in a battle in the remote village of Villa Ibaba, the encounter also left four Army soldiers wounded.

Guzman said the clash near the vicinity of the proposed coal-fired power plant started at about 4:45 p.m. and lasted for two hours.

Guzman identified the slain soldier as Corporal Michael Lubian, of the 85th Infantry Battalion.

The dead NPA rebel has yet to be identified. An M-16 rifle was recovered from the slain rebel, Guzman said.

The Solcom spokesperson identified the wounded soldiers as Jeffrey C. Morales, Isabelo M. Pascua, Louie M. Tapiador and Ronel L, Diorda, all with the ranks of Private First Class.

Guzman said the wounded soldiers were brought to the Doña Marta Memorial District Hospital in Atimonan for initial treatment, after which they were airlifted to V. Luna Medical Center in Quezon City.

Guzman said a running gunbattle between pursuing soldiers and escaping rebels were still in ongoing as of Monday morning.

Colonel Rhoderick Parayno, commander of the Army’s 201st Infantry Brigade, said the soldiers were fired upon by more than 20 communist guerillas, most armed with high-powered firearms, some with M203 grenade launchers.

Parayno blasted the NPA rebels for sowing fear in the community and for extorting from businessmen and companies.

The clash took place in a village where a 1,200-megawatt coal-fired plant is planned to be constructed.

Parayno said the soldiers fired upon by the rebels were pursuing other NPAs rebels that the Army encountered in nearby Mauban town on Wednesday (July 8), where three communist guerillas were killed.

Records from Funeraria Pagbilao here in Lucena, where the bodies of the three dead NPA rebels were brought, identified the slain guerillas as Raymundo Galicia, Noli Moises Astrera and Elmer Brinia.

According to Lenlen Santillan, the remains of the three rebels were claimed by their respective families on Sunday (July 12).

In a statement, Lieutenant General Ricardo R. Visaya, Solcom chief, said the recent encounters between NPA rebels and military forces in Quezon were isolated cases.

“We will preserve our gains in the peace and security in Quezon. We are determined in realizing our shared goal of developing a culture of peace in the province,” Visaya said.