2 soldiers killed, 8 hurt in NPA clash

CEBU, Philippines — Two soldiers were killed and eight others were wounded in a clash between the government troops and suspected members of the New People’s Army in a hinterland village of Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental early morning yesterday.

Sergeant Sandy Arevalo and Private First Class Vicente Marcon were killed in the firefight which lasted for more than an hour, Captain Ruel Llanes, civil military operations officer of the 303rd Infantry Brigade (IB), told The FREEMAN.

Injured were Sergeant Niño Nabaunag, Privates First Class Michael Besana, Voltair Catamin, Angelito Bariga, and Kenneth Cerbo, as well as Privates Ryan Las Piñas, Joven Taghap, and John Daryle Delgado.

As of press time, the military is still verifying reports on casualties from the NPA side as bloodstains were reportedly seen at the encounter site in Sitio Atubon, Barangay Tan-awan.

The firefight broke out at 5:30 a.m. and ended at around 7 a.m., as the 62nd IB's troops were conducting clearing operations in preparation for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) polls tomorrow.

The military was reportedly at a disadvantage, since there were only 20 soldiers who stood against a force of about 60 suspected rebels, Llanes said.

"Nakapuwesto na diay sila (NPA) didto sa area, unya paangat man pud ang bukid, mao nga daghan casualties (sa government side)," Llanes said.

Recovered from the encounter site were bags belonging to the suspected rebels, which include clothes, food, as well as cellular phones and tablets that possibly contain "subversive" documents. The gadgets have yet to be turned over to the 303rd IB's technical department for further analysis.

Poll-Related Violence

Moreover, Llanes said the incident can be considered election-related since the troops were deployed in the area to secure the barangay and SK polls.

Llanes added that the suspected rebels may have been plotting to disrupt Monday's polls.

“Posibleng magsamok-samok sila didto, especially sa mga barangay nga dili nila kontrolado," he said.

Ninety barangays in Negros Occidental have been classified as poll hotspots by the Commission on Elections.

However, Llanes said the 62nd IB soldiers were also scouring the area in response to intelligence reports that the rebels, who were behind the alleged arson of a backhoe rented by a construction firm contracted by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to build a water dam last May 7, are hiding in the said village.

Early this week, the NPA owned up the torching of a backhoe and construction materials in Sitio Badian, also in Tan-awan village.

Estimated damage has been placed by arson investigators of the Bureau of Fire and Protection at P6.8 million.

Heightened Alert

In Negros Oriental, police in nearby Mabinay town were placed on alert.

Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office (NORPPO) Acting Director Senior Superintendent Raul Tacaca said the police conducted checkpoints in Mabinay for security purposes. — Gilbert Bayoran/KBQ (FREEMAN)