Military recovers slain bodies of communist rebels

From the Philippine News Agency (May 14): Military recovers slain bodies of communist rebels

The military on Tuesday has recovered two unidentified bodies of two suspected communist rebels killed in an armed encounter on the outskirts of Gingoog City last Monday, the military reported on Wednesday.

Lt. Jose Gille, the acting spokesperson of the army’s 4th Infantry Division here, said that the encounter took place in the farming village of Bal-ason in Gingoog City while the army’s 58th Infantry Battalion was on patrol last Monday morning.

The government troopers encountered an undetermined number of New People’s Army (NPA) rebels believed members of the Front 4B of the communist North Central Mindanao Regional Committee, which resulted in a five minute running gun battle in the area, Gille said.

He said that the bodies of the slain rebels were recovered only on Tuesday when the military conducted a clearing operation in the encounter site.

According to Gille, the army operatives also recovered two M-16 rifles beside the bodies of the slain communist rebels who were believed to be among the group who ambushed Gingoog City Mayor Ruthie Guingona sometime in April 2013.

He said that the civilian residents in Bal-ason have tipped off the military of the presence of an unidentified armed group who were reportedly extorting the local farmers there.

“The successful military operations were the result of information provided by the local residents and barangay officials who were fed up of the rebel extortion activities in the area,” Gille added.

Maj. Gen. Ricardo Visaya, commander of the army’s 4th ID, said that the military operations against the NPA bandits will continue with renewed vigor to protect the people of Gingoog and Misamis Oriental.

The government, however, welcomes those who will surrender and rejoin mainstream society. There are government programs for those who will opt to lay down their arms, Visaya said.

He said the downfall of the communist movement in the region becomes inevitable with the surrender of 170 former rebels from Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon and the CARAGA region since mid last year.

The rebels also turned over a total of 173 assorted firearms, Visaya added.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=643568