Lian, Batangas — While local initiatives are rolling in several provinces and localities to establish sustained peace in areas infested by New People’s Army (NPA), a clash between government troops and the communist guerrillas broke out yesterday in Batangas resulting in the death of one rebel.
Army Colonel Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos, commander of the 202nd Brigade, said the encounter took place in Barangay Lumanag, Lian, Batangas around 3 a.m. yesterday.
Batangas Police Provincial Office (PPO) Director Leopoldo Cabanag said operatives of the 730th Combat Group of the Philippine Air Force (AFP), led by Staff Sergeant Eduardo Ocampo, traded fire with around 20 NPA rebels for about 15 minutes, ending in the retreat of the rebels and the death of one of their comrades.
Major General Rhoderick Parayno, 2nd Infantry Division commander of the Philippine Army, said the identity of the slain rebel was still unknown, but government troops collected three rebel firearms left at the scene of the battle – an M16 armalite rifle, an M14 rifle, and a Garand rifle.
Lost strength
As in Batangas, NPA rebels are trying to regain their lost strength in Bataan and Pampanga, but the military is confident this will not happen.
Addressing the recent Peace and Order Council (POC) meeting at the One Bataann Headquarters in Bataan, Colonel Ramil Anoyo, commanding officer of the army’s 48th infantry battalion, said they are not giving the rebels an inch.
Anoyo said a bid by the rebels to encroach Bataan last week had been foiled and that only a few of them have been roaming around and are being monitored.
3 Reds surrender
In Ilocos Sur, the army’s 18th Infantry Battalion (18IB) based in Sta. Cruz town has gained ground in its initiative to bring rebels back into the fold of the law.
Yesterday, Lt. Col. Eugenio Julio C. Osias IV, commander of the 18IB, said three NPA rebels have surrendered – “Ka Lumen,” a medic of the NPA, and one “Ka Fera,” both from the NPA’s Kilusang Larangang Guerilya (KLG)-Montes, and a “Ka Ren,” from the NPA’s SPP South Central command.
Localized peace
In the Bondoc Peninsula, Quezon Provincial Board Member Dominique Reyes is drafting a resolution seeking for a local peace initiative between the NPA and the provincial government.
Lost strength
As in Batangas, NPA rebels are trying to regain their lost strength in Bataan and Pampanga, but the military is confident this will not happen.
Addressing the recent Peace and Order Council (POC) meeting at the One Bataann Headquarters in Bataan, Colonel Ramil Anoyo, commanding officer of the army’s 48th infantry battalion, said they are not giving the rebels an inch.
Anoyo said a bid by the rebels to encroach Bataan last week had been foiled and that only a few of them have been roaming around and are being monitored.
3 Reds surrender
In Ilocos Sur, the army’s 18th Infantry Battalion (18IB) based in Sta. Cruz town has gained ground in its initiative to bring rebels back into the fold of the law.
Yesterday, Lt. Col. Eugenio Julio C. Osias IV, commander of the 18IB, said three NPA rebels have surrendered – “Ka Lumen,” a medic of the NPA, and one “Ka Fera,” both from the NPA’s Kilusang Larangang Guerilya (KLG)-Montes, and a “Ka Ren,” from the NPA’s SPP South Central command.
Localized peace
In the Bondoc Peninsula, Quezon Provincial Board Member Dominique Reyes is drafting a resolution seeking for a local peace initiative between the NPA and the provincial government.
Reyes, chairman of the POC, told The Manila Bulletin that he believes the local NPA rebels, particularly those moving in his district, are quite amenable to establishing peace for the welfare of the communities.
The challenge, he said is for talks between the NPA leadership in the locality and local government leaders, with the guidance of Quezon Governor David C. Suarez, and the cooperation of the military and police.
The challenge, he said is for talks between the NPA leadership in the locality and local government leaders, with the guidance of Quezon Governor David C. Suarez, and the cooperation of the military and police.
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