Soldier, 3 NPA rebels wounded in NegOcc clash

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 17, 2022): Soldier, 3 NPA rebels wounded in NegOcc clash (By Nanette Guadalquiver)

A soldier of the Philippine Army’s 94th Infantry Battalion (IB) and three Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) rebels were injured during a clash in the far-flung village of Buenavista in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental on Wednesday.

The 94IB confirmed the incident in a report on Thursday, but did not identify the wounded personnel, who was brought to a hospital here.

At 9:40 a.m., troops engaged about 10 communist-rebels in Sitio Ulot, leaving three wounded on the enemy side, based on the bloodstains they found and also on the information provided by civilians.

Lt. Col. Van Donald Almonte, commander of 94IB, said his men conducted combat patrol operations following reports of extortion activities of the CPP-NPA in the area.

“The 94IB will not stop banishing them from the hinterland communities of central Negros until sustainable peace and development is achieved, I’m warning their remaining members to surrender before it’s too late,” he added.

In a statement, Maj. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, said the people promptly inform the government forces about the presence of the NPA as they are fed up with the lies and deceits of the communist-terrorist group.

“In collaboration with the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) government member-agencies and with the cooperation of the communities, we are positive the insurgency problem will soon come to an end, not only in this region, but also in the whole country,” Arevalo 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.

The National Democratic Front has been formally designated as a terrorist organization by the Anti-Terrorism Council on June 23, 2021, citing it as “an integral and inseparable part” of the CPP-NPA created in April 1973.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1170043