Thursday, February 9, 2023

Kabankalan gun battle casualties identified

From the Visayan Daily Star (Feb 8, 2023): Kabankalan gun battle casualties identified (By GILBERT P. BAYORAN)


Mayor Benjie Miranda (3rd from left) with Col. Orlando Edralin, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, and Lt. Col. Van Donald Almonte, 94IB commanding officer (right) visit the encounter sites in Brgy. Oringao, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental.* PA photo

The three suspected New People’s Army rebels died in recent gun battles with Army soldiers in Sitio Bugne, Brgy. Oringao, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, have been identified by the Philippine National Police

P/Capt. Judesses Catalogo, spokesperson of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, yesterday identified them as Joemarie Calumba, 47, of Brgy. Oringao, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental; Jun Jun Callete, 42, of Sitio Buhi, Brgy. Tanlad, Tayasan, Negros Oriental, and Diomedes Lasida, 70, of Brgy. Pinggot, Ilog.


Catalogo said Calumba was positively identified by his wife, Leolita; while Callete was identified by his mother, Bebita.

Capt. Mervin Rosal, spokesperson of the 303rd Infantry Brigade, yesterday said Calumba is a member of the Central Negros 1 under the Komiteng Rehiyonal Negros/ Cebu/Bohol/Siqujior.

Three firearms and a rifle grenade, several backpacks containing personal belongings, including a T-shirt of the Municipal Disaster Risk and Reduction Office of Binalbagan, were among the war materials and items recovered by Army soldiers at the encounter site.

The mother of Callete told the police that her son was invited by his friends, who later surrendered to authorities, to join the NPA last year.

Catalogo also said that they are also investigating the recovery of a Binalbagan Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (DRRMO) T-shirt, at the encounter site in Brgy. Oringao, Kabankalan City.

He raised the possibility that it could have been stolen by rebels, or the owner may have been related to somebody working at the Binalbagan municipal government.

Catalogo also recalled that NPA rebels have a history of using uniforms of military or police, in the conduct of their terroristic activities.

https://visayandailystar.com/kabankalan-gun-battle-casualties-identified/

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