An alleged communist guerrilla was killed in an encounter with the troops of the 65th Infantry Battalion (65IB) in Barangay Lacolac, Baungon, Bukidnon at 5:20 a.m. on Sunday.
1Lt. Tere Ingente, the spokesperson of 4th Infantry Division, said they received information from a concerned citizen that there are armed men in the vicinity of the barangay, which promoted the battalion to send soldiers to the area.
Ingente said the government troops were in Purok 1 of the barangay when they encountered the NPA's Guerrilla Front Committee 68 (GF68) of North Central Mindanao Regional Command. The firefight lasted for 40 minutes before the rebels escaped.
Soldiers recovered the still unidentified body, along with this rifle. The body was turned over to the Baungon police for identification.
"It is very unfortunate that we lost another Filipino life today when an NPA terrorist died during an encounter with the troops of 65th Infantry Battalion," Brig. Gen. Eric Vinoya, the 403rd Infantry Brigade commander, said.
"This could not have happened if the leaders of the said terrorist organization did not deceive and offer lies to our poor farmers and Lumad, which forced them to take up arms against the government," Vinoya said.
The government offers the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-Clip) for those remaining NPAs who want to abandon the armed struggle.
“We will assist them in processing for the ECLIP," said Maj. Gen. Ronald Villanueva. “I am sure many of them wanted to go home to their families and loved ones; many of them are tired of their life in the armed movement.”
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