4 NPA rebels killed in Sorsogon clash

LEGAZPI CITY—Four communist rebels, one of them a local leader of the New People’s Army (NPA), were killed in a clash with government soldiers in Casiguran town in Sorsogon province on Friday morning, police and military reports said.

Capt. Randy Llunar, public affairs officer of Philippine Army’s 9th Infantry Division, said the clash broke out while soldiers belonging to the 31st Infantry Battalion were patrolling the village of Trese Martirez at past 5 a.m.

The soldiers engaged about 30 rebels in a 30-minute firefight in Sitio Namoro, according to Senior Insp. Maria Luisa Calubaquib, spokesperson for the Bicol regional police.

Among those killed was rebel leader Andres Hubilla, who used the aliases Bunso, Magno, Karlo and Simon. Hubilla was secretary of the NPA’s Komiteng Probinsya (KP3) Sorsogon under the Bicol Regional Party Committee, reports said.

The three other slain rebels had yet to be identified.

Llunar said Hubilla was arrested in 2015 and 2017 but was able to post bail in both instances.

Llunar and Calubaquib said government troops did not report any casualty./rga