Military suspends pursuit operations

From Business World (Dec 18): Military suspends pursuit operations

The military has suspended pursuit operations against suspected communist rebels who clashed with soldiers last week, in line with the holiday ceasefire until Jan. 2. Col. Francisco Patrimonio, 302nd Infantry Brigade commander, said the encounter last Thursday claimed the lives of Privates First Class Dennis Acosta and Oliver Grecia. Four other soldiers from the Alpha Company of the 11th Infantry Battalion were wounded.

Meanwhile, the police released 11 of 19 persons arrested on Friday at the site of the clash. Mr. Patrimonio said the police failed to link their involvement in the clash. Three people who tested positive for gunpowder and five others, who were identified as among the suspected rebels who took part in the clash, are still in detention as of yesterday. "It is the police that will determine the charges to be filed against the eight suspected rebels, who will be liable for the death and injuries of the soldiers," Mr. Patrimonio said. He defended the arrest of the civilians, which had drawn criticism from human rights watchdog Karapatan.

"Since fleeing rebels can easily mingle with civilians, we had to check and verify their presence at the encounter site. If you are innocent, then you are free to go," Mr. Patrimonio said. Sr. Supt. Milko Lirazan, officer-in-charge of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, said the 11 civilians who were released were held within the reglamentary period to determine if they had participated in the gun battle.

Troopers of the 11th Infantry Battalion Alpha Company led by 1Lt. Von Ryan Gomez were on security operations in Isabela, Negros Occidental last Thursday when they encountered 30 to 40 armed men. This led to a running gun battle that lasted several hours. The soldiers later seized a suspected New People’s Army camp that could accommodate about 50 persons. The four injured soldiers were conferred the Wounded Personnel Medal last Saturday by Maj. Gen. Jose Z. Mabanta, Jr., 3rd Infantry Division commander, at the Jose Pablo Memorial Hospital in Bacolod City.

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