2 alleged NPA rebels surrender in Cordillera

BAGUIO CITY — Two alleged New People's Army guerrillas in Ifugao and Mt. Province surrendered to government troops stationed in the highland region this week.

The surrenderees, whose true names were still undisclosed for safety reasons, were said to be members of Kilusang Larangang Gerilya "Ampis" (Abra-Mt. Province-Ilocos Sur) of the Ilocos-Cordillera Regional Committee.

One of them was said to be a squad leader while the other was a member.

The Northern Luzon Command of the Armed Forces said both voluntarily surrendered in Baguio City after a series of negotiations by two former rebels with the 77th Infantry Battalion, 54th Infantry Battalion and the Ifugao and Mt. Province police.

Meanwhile, government forces fought communist rebels in the remote barangay of Tabacda in Tubo, Abra on Wednesday morning.

Soldiers from the 71st and 73rd Division Reconnaissance Companies chanced upon 15 rebels during combat operations after checking on reports of villagers on the presence of the NPA.

Lt. Col. Isagani Nato, the spokesperson of the Northern Luzon Command, said some rebels belonging to the “KLG Ampis” were killed while there were no injuries or deaths on the government side. He said the gunfight lasted for 15 minutes and that the rebels eventually fled.

Meanwhile, soldiers seized on Monday an abandoned NPA camp which could accommodate 30 rebels in Besao, Mountain Province.

Also recovered in the camp, which the Armed Forces said might have been used by rebels as their clinic, were blasting caps and gauze pads.