ARMY-REBEL CLASH. Lt. Col. Joel Benedict Batara, commanding officer of the Philippine Army’s 61st Infantry Battalion (61IB), says on Saturday (Sept. 21, 2019) that the Friday encounter between the Army and the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) foiled the rebel's plan to attack a private company. He said the rebels plan to sabotage the operation of the Century Peak Energy Company, a hydro-energy plant based in Igbaras town, Iloilo. (File photo)
ILOILO CITY -- The Philippine Army’s 61st Infantry Battalion (61IB) foiled the harassment plans of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) on Friday.
The government troops encountered more or less 15 members of the CPP-NPA under the Suyak Platoon, Southern Front, Komiteng Rehiyon Panay at Ongyod village, Miag-ao town.
Lt. Col. Joel Benedict Batara, 61st IB commanding officer, told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Saturday that the brief firefight lasted around minutes.
The operating troops were conducting combat operations at the vicinity in response to the reports from locals regarding the presence of armed communist rebels.
No casualty was recorded on the government side while reliable sources revealed that there are several wounded on the enemy side, he said.
Batara said the Army likely prevented the rebels from attacking the Century Peak Energy Company in nearby Igbaras town.
“Century Peak Energy Company is a hydro-energy plant in Igbaras town. For the previous years, the company had been harassed by the rebels and fortunately, the troops are always there to respond,” he said.
Batara said the company had been receiving extortion letters from the rebels in the past years “but they never gave in to the demand”.
Aside from its planned harassment of a private company, Bara said the CPP-NPA also has plans to attack Army and Philippine National Police (PNP) detachments in the area.
“We are on alert because they might want to highlight their protests especially with the anniversary of the Martial Law,” Batara said.
Meanwhile, Batara said the local government unit of Miag-ao “has initial plans” to declare the CPP-NPA as persona-non-grata.
“Other municipalities are also planning to declare them (rebels) persona-non-grata. In due time, the whole province of Iloilo, Antique and Capiz might declare the CPP-NPA as persona non-grata,” he said.
Towns and cities taking the initiative to declare such is a “good sign” on the anti-insurgency campaign of the government, he said.
The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1081086
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