Suspected NPA slain in Bukidnon clash

From the Philippine Star (Sep 13, 2021): Suspected NPA slain in Bukidnon clash (By Michael Punongbayan)

A suspected New People’s Army (NPA) guerrilla was killed while two others were arrested in separate encounters in Bukidnon over the weekend.

The first encounter occurred in Barangay Baylanan in Talakag town on Friday, when troopers of the Army’s 1st Special Forces Battalion foiled a plot to destroy equipment used in a road construction project in the area, according to the Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom).

The clash resulted in the death of a rebel and recovery of firearms and ammunition.

The following day, troopers of the Army’s 88th Infantry Battalion figured in a series of clashes with at least 10 rebels.

The firefight stemmed from information supplied by residents about the presence of a group of armed men in Barangay Laligan, Valencia City.

The firefight lasted 30 minutes and resulted in the arrest of alleged NPA rebels, identified as Romeo Campilan and Angelyn Naingue, and rescue of two minor combatants.

Troopers seized the suspects’ rifles, according to Eastmincom public information chief Maj. Alex Mindalano.

The military said the clashes showed that people in communities are fed up with the NPA’s continuing atrocities, and wanted their children protected from the rebels’ recruitment campaign.

Eastmincom chief Lt. Gen. Greg Almeros said the rescue of the minors showed the communist group’s desperation in strengthening its force by resorting to recruiting children.

“They have no regard for the lives of the children,” Almerol said.

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2021/09/13/2126681/suspected-npa-slain-bukidnon-clash