1,550 Aurora town residents evacuated as soldiers clash with NPA rebels 

Aurora map. INQUIRER FILES

MABALACAT CITY, Pampanga — Authorities evacuated at least 381 families, or some 1,550 individuals, to safer grounds after armed encounters erupted Monday and Tuesday between government soldiers and New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Dipaculao town, Aurora province.

In a statement, Aurora Gov. Reynante Tolentino said they evacuated the affected residents to the Dipaculao Sports Complex, Mega Evacuation Center, and Ipil Evacuation Center.

The 703rd Agila Brigade of the 7th Infantry Division said the armed clashes occurred in Toytoyan and Salay villages in Dipaculao.

It said the clash in the remote village of Toytoyan started at 6:40 a.m. on Monday between the 91st Infantry Battalion and around 20 NPA fighters after authorities received information about the presence of armed men in the area.

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The exchange of fire lasted for only 30 minutes. A government soldier was wounded, rushed to a hospital, and was reportedly in stable condition.

“Heavy bloodstains” were seen along the communist rebels’ withdrawal route,” the 703rd Agila Brigade said.

At 5:46 p.m. on Tuesday, Army soldiers again clashed with some 10 NPA rebels in Salay. The initial exchange of gunfire lasted for 40 minutes.

The Army said it retrieved an M14 rifle supposedly left by a rebel. It said they conducted hot pursuit operations to stop the rebels from regrouping.

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Tolentino asked his constituents not to believe the wrong information circulating on social media that civilians were killed and wounded during the armed encounters.

In a separate statement, Aurora police director Colonel Myles Angel Pascual also warned the public against fake news.

“The photos and videos being spread on social media related to the armed encounter that just happened in our province were not true. No civilian was wounded and no vehicle was damaged during the encounter,” he stressed.

Dipaculao was placed under “heightened alert” status as a result of the clashes.

The municipal government of Maria Aurora suspended classes at all levels due to the proximity of the second clash to the town and the “possible escalation of the armed encounter,” which might spread to some of its villages. INQ