NPA rebel killed in clash with gov’t troops in Agusan del Norte

DAVAO CITY—A suspected communist rebel was killed in a firefight with government forces in the town of Jabonga in Agusan del Norte on Sunday afternoon.

Captain Joe Patrick Martinez, spokesperson of the military’s 4th Infantry Division, said the government forces were tracking down a unit of the New People’s Army rebels when the firefight occurred in the village of Bangonay at 3:30 p.m.

A fighting ensued until the communist guerrillas disengaged and fled deeper into the jungle, the military said.

Martinez said an AK-47 rifle was also recovered by the government troopers from the scene of the firefight during the clearing operation.

The military said the incident in Jabonga was already the 20th armed encounter in Northern Mindanao since February.

Peace advocates have been calling on both the government and the National Democratic Front (NDF) to resume the stalled 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), however, the process has not made any progress after the talks hit a snag.

The guerrilla insurgency in the country is considered as one of the longest-running communist movements in Asia. RAM

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