Hundreds of villagers displaced by fresh clash in central Negros

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 1, 2023): Hundreds of villagers displaced by fresh clash in central Negros (By Nanette Guadalquiver)

DISPLACED. The City of Himamaylan in Negros Occidental province, together with the Department of Social Welfare and Development, assists some 81 displaced families from four sitios (sub-village) in Barangay Carabalan, following a clash between New People's Army rebels and Philippine Army troops on Wednesday (March 1, 2023). The affected residents have been evacuated to the village covered court. (Photo courtesy of Himamaylan City Social Welfare and Development Office)

BACOLOD CITY – A renewed clash between New People’s Army (NPA) rebels and Philippine Army troops injured a soldier and displaced at least 351 persons from 81 families in Barangay Carabalan, Himamaylan City in Negros Occidental province on Wednesday.

The City Social Welfare and Development Office said in a report the internally displaced persons, who are residents of Sitios Canagbaan, Da-at, Florete and Cabalungan, have been evacuated to the village covered court.

The Army, due to ongoing operations, has yet to identify the wounded government trooper confined in a hospital here.

The encounter, which took place past 6 a.m., came five months after a series of clashes in the same village, which affected more than 5,000 individuals in Carabalan and three adjacent villages, including one in the neighboring Binalbagan town.

“We ask for fervent prayers for the safety of our brothers and sisters in Barangay Carabalan,” said Mayor Rogelio Raymund Tongson in a Facebook post.

The city government, together with the Department of Social Welfare and Development, has provided food packs and hygiene kits to displaced families.

In a separate report, the 94th Infantry Battalion (94IB) said its troops engaged around 20 communist rebels in a 20-minute firefight while conducting a security patrol operation after the village officials reported the presence of armed men asking for food and supplies, based on the information provided by the locals.

“I commend the efforts of the concerned citizens and barangay officials of Carabalan in reporting the presence of the NPA. This encounter demonstrates the commitment of the 94IB to protect and serve the people of Himamaylan,” Lt. Co. Van Donald Almonte, commanding officer of 94IB, said in a statement.

Almonte urged the remaining NPA combatants to surrender as well and avail of the government's Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program for former rebels.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1196395