2 NPA rebs killed in Bukidnon, Misamis Occidental

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 19): 2 NPA rebs killed in Bukidnon, Misamis Occidental

Two members of the New People's Army (NPA) were killed in separate clashes in Misamis Occidental and Bukidnon provinces on Monday, military officials said.

Lt. Colonel John Andrada, commander of the Army's 10th Infantry Battalion (10IB), said the encounter in the Misamis Occidental town of Aloran occurred after the troops received information from "concerned civilians" of the NPA's presence in Barangay San Pedro, around 9:40 a.m.

"These armed men were trying to recruit the youth to join their movement and to extort the populace according to the civilians," Andrada said.

Col. Bagnus Gaerlan, commander of the Army's 102nd Infantry Brigade, called on the rebels "to lay down their arms peacefully, be given proper medication and we ensure them that their rights will be respected".

Brig. Gen. Roberto Ancan, commander of the Army's 1st Infantry Division, expressed sympathy to the family and relatives of the dead NPA combatant.

In Bukidnon, the Army's 1st Special Forces Battalion said a rebel was killed during a pursuit operation launched after the NPA attacked an Army detachment in Malaybalay City on February 14.

Four NPA communist terrorists were also killed during the February 14 attack.

Col. Edgardo de Leon, commander of the Army's 403 Brigade, said the Special Forces managed to track down the fleeing insurgents in Lantapan town, Bukidnon, after being tipped off by civilians.

Brigadier General Franco Nemesio Gacal, commander of Army’s 4th Infantry Division (4ID), vowed that government troops will continue to "defend the people and communities from the NPA at all cost".

The NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, is listed as a terrorist organization by the European Union and the United States.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1062342