The clashes were sparked by a reported raid by the NPA on Barangay Mahogcong in Magpet town
A soldier and three New People’s Army guerrillas were killed in a series of firefights Monday in Barangay Balite in Magpet town in North Cotabato, authorities said Tuesday.
The Army’s 39th Infantry Battalion, which has jurisdiction over Magpet and nearby towns in the province, confirmed via an online statement the death of an enlisted soldier, whose identity was withheld pending notification of relatives.
Two other soldiers were wounded in the skirmishes, now confined in a hospital.
Local officials, among them members of the Magpet municipal peace and order council, said on Tuesday that three NPAs were killed in the encounter.
The group, led by Joel Pulido, belongs to the NPA’s Guerilla Front 53, which allegedly retaliates against civilians suspected of helping the military monitor its activities.
Army officials said guerrillas under the group are also known for their excessive collection of “protection money” from farming communities to raise funds needed to sustain its operation.
The hostilities on Monday forced about a hundred families in Barangay Balite to evacuate to Katindu and Anuling areas in Arakan, North Cotabato.
Senior Superintendent Emmanuel Peralta, director of the North Cotabato provincial police, said the running gunbattles in Barangay Balite on Monday erupted when the NPAs attacked soldiers pursuing retreating rebels who raided Barangay Mahongcog, Magpet the day before.
The rebels disarmed volunteer community watchmen and barangay officials at gunpoint.
Mahongcog Barangay Chairman Michael Lingaro and his tanods lost more than a dozen firearms, including M14 and M-16 assault rifles and 12-gauge shotguns to the rebels.
Magpet is surrounded by hinterlands where there is heavy NPA presence.
The rebels who fired at soldiers in Barangay Balite retreated to a nearby hinterland when they got low on ammunition, according to local police.
Evacuees told reporters they saw the fleeing NPAs carry four wounded companions as they fled.
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