Army soldiers clashed with an estimated 30 suspected New People’s Army (NPA)rebels in Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental on Monday morning.
A team of soldiers from the 79th Infantry Battalion, led by Cpl. Jesus A. Alamon, was on combat patrol around 9:30 a.m. Monday at Sitio Cadlum in Barangay Nagbalaye, Sta. Catalina when they came across the group of suspected rebels and engaged them in a running gun battle.
The armed men are believed to be members of the NPA’s Komiteng Rehiyonal Sentral Bisayas-South East Front (KRSB-SEF), operating in the southwestern portions of Negros Oriental.
No casualties were reported during the firefight which lasted for about 10 to 15 minutes after which the suspected insurgents withdrew towards the northeast, according to Lt. Col. Marion Sison, commander of the 79th Infantry Battalion based in the adjacent town of
Recovered items from the encounter site include 113 pieces of spent shells of caliber 5.56 M-16, 89 pieces of empty shells of caliber 7.62 M-14, 98 pieces of caliber .30 carbine, one compass, one stethoscope, one sphygmomanometer, six paracetamol tablets, four family pictures, three kilos of corn grits, one bottle of cymbush insecticide and an X-ray film result of a certain Sita Dacaldacal.
Lt. Col. Sison said his troops were conducting combat patrol to verify a report from civilians on Sunday on the presence of armed men in the area.
He reiterated that due to pressure on the rebels with the continuous conduct of combat operations, the NPA has apparently failed in its purported goal to campaign for the political candidates the underground movement is supporting in the May 13 polls.
Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Sison has disclosed that the NPA is likely to take advantage of the upcoming mid-term elections by launching tactical offensives against soft targets, military detachments and vital installations.
The battalion commander said he is constantly meeting with the security officers of the different vital installations in his area of coverage to avert possible attacks by the NPA at the height of the elections.
The Philippine Army commander said they have been on red alert since May 1 in preparation for next week’s polls.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=522974
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