Another ‘NPA remnant’ killed in clash

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD CITY—Another alleged remnant of the New People’s Army (NPA) was killed in a clash with police and military troopers at Sitio Manaysay, Barangay Cambayobo, Calatrava, Negros Occidental, last Wednesday.

According to the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (ID), the encounter broke out at around 3:55 p.m., after the 79th Infantry Battalion (IB) and the 3rd Mobile Platoon of the 1st Negros Occidental Provincial Mobile Force (Nopmfc) conducted Joint Enhanced Military and Police Operations (JEMPO) in response to residents’ reports about the alleged presence of about seven remnants of the Northern Negros Front (NNF), Komiteng Rehiyon – Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor (KR-NCBS).

The 10-minute firefight resulted in the death of an alleged member of the NNF. However, Captain Dan Carlo Samoza, 79th IB civil-military operations (CMO) officer, refused to name the fatality out of respect for his family.

His body was recovered from the encounter site, along with various war materials, including an M16 rifle, a hand grenade, a bandolier, magazines, ammunition, medicines, foodstuffs, subversive documents, and personal belongings.

This clash came a day after the 62nd IB also encountered alleged remnants of the NPA in Barangay Quintin Remo, Moises Padilla, on May 21, resulting in the neutralization of another alleged NPA rebel.

In a statement, Major General Marion Sison, 3ID commander, told the remaining NPA rebels that Negros is no longer a safe refuge for them, as the unity of the people and the government is evident in the series of encounters, wherein information from local residents has played a crucial role in combat operations, especially in locating and hitting the NPA remnants with precision.

“Surrender now while you still have time. Everybody is safeguarding this beautiful island because they have witnessed and experienced the beneficial impacts of the Stable Internal Peace and Security (SIPS) status on various aspects of Negros Island, specifically on the economic and social conditions of its people,” Sison said.