RECOVERED. Troops of the 94th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army recover an anti-personnel mine and other 'war materials' following a clash with suspected rebels in Barangay Bantolinao, Manjuyod, Negros Oriental after a running gunbattle on Thursday (Oct. 3, 2019). The firefight lasted for around 40 minutes. (Photo courtesy of 303rd Infantry Brigade, Philippine Army)
Government troops from the 94th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army recovered an anti-personnel mine and other “war materials” after an encounter with suspected New People’s Army (NPA) members in Barangay Bantolinao in Manjuyod, Negros Oriental on Thursday.
Lt. Col. Randy Pagunuran, 94th IB commander, confirmed in a telephone interview that his men encountered around 20 armed men believed to be communist insurgents in Sitio Cabangahan, Barangay Bantolinao.
“My men were acting on reports from civilians in the area on the presence of unidentified armed men there,” he said in the dialect.
A running gun battle lasted for about 40 minutes as the soldiers pursued the suspected rebels, he said. The area where the firefight took place was not populated, he added.
No casualty was reported on the government side but Pagunuran said the alleged NPA members may have suffered casualties based on bloodstains in their route of withdrawal.
The Army troops recovered an anti-personnel mine, parts of a destroyed M16 rifle such as a bolt, buffer spring and charging handle, a commercial handheld radio, one AM radio, two cellular phones, electrical wire, seven kilos of rice, two backpacks, three ponchos, five hammocks, 10 pieces of “Ang Bayan” booklets, two T-shirts with PKP print and a pair of slippers.
Clearing operations continue in the area as the armed men are believed to be the same ones who had figured in previous encounters in the so-called BATMANAY area, an acronym for the adjacent towns of Bindoy, Ayungon, Tayasan, Manjuyod and Mabinay.
The clash came a day ahead of the town’s fiesta celebration on Friday even as Lt. Col. Pagunuran reassured the people that security forces are everywhere to ensure their safety.
Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, in a media release urge the soldiers to "relentlessly pursue the NPAs who had been menacing our people in the countryside”.
“I also encourage the people to continue to report the presence of NPAs in their communities in order for us to prevent their extortion and other terroristic activities,” he added.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1082310
Lt. Col. Randy Pagunuran, 94th IB commander, confirmed in a telephone interview that his men encountered around 20 armed men believed to be communist insurgents in Sitio Cabangahan, Barangay Bantolinao.
“My men were acting on reports from civilians in the area on the presence of unidentified armed men there,” he said in the dialect.
A running gun battle lasted for about 40 minutes as the soldiers pursued the suspected rebels, he said. The area where the firefight took place was not populated, he added.
No casualty was reported on the government side but Pagunuran said the alleged NPA members may have suffered casualties based on bloodstains in their route of withdrawal.
The Army troops recovered an anti-personnel mine, parts of a destroyed M16 rifle such as a bolt, buffer spring and charging handle, a commercial handheld radio, one AM radio, two cellular phones, electrical wire, seven kilos of rice, two backpacks, three ponchos, five hammocks, 10 pieces of “Ang Bayan” booklets, two T-shirts with PKP print and a pair of slippers.
Clearing operations continue in the area as the armed men are believed to be the same ones who had figured in previous encounters in the so-called BATMANAY area, an acronym for the adjacent towns of Bindoy, Ayungon, Tayasan, Manjuyod and Mabinay.
The clash came a day ahead of the town’s fiesta celebration on Friday even as Lt. Col. Pagunuran reassured the people that security forces are everywhere to ensure their safety.
Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, in a media release urge the soldiers to "relentlessly pursue the NPAs who had been menacing our people in the countryside”.
“I also encourage the people to continue to report the presence of NPAs in their communities in order for us to prevent their extortion and other terroristic activities,” he added.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1082310
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