Army honors wounded soldiers for valor in encounters with NPA in Escalante

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – The Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade (IBde) honored the bravery of three soldiers and one militiaman who were wounded in a series of encounters with the New People’s Army (NPA) in Barangay Pinapugasan, Escalante City, Negros Occidental last week.

Brigadier General Orlando Edralin, commander of the 303rd IBde, represented by Colonel Victor Llapitan, deputy brigade commander, awarded the Wounded Personnel Medal to the four servicemen while they were hospitalized in a private facility here last Friday.

The injured officers from the 79th Infantry Battalion (IB) are 2nd Lieutenant Frenz Jarey Gonzales, Private First Class Sandie Cebayle, Private First Class Jiezard Mesina, and Eduardo Linogon, a Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu) Active Auxiliary (CAA) member.

They received the medals in recognition of their courageous and exemplary actions during hot pursuit operations that led to multiple engagements with the remnants of the dismantled Northern Negros Front (NNF)-D at Sitio Mansulao, Barangay Pinapugasan on February 21 and 22.

Llapitan expressed his admiration for the soldiers’ courage in confronting the adversaries. “I salute each one of them for their selfless service and unwavering commitment to serving the people and maintaining peace in Negros,” he stated.

The confrontations in Escalante City resulted in the displacement of over 700 residents from two barangays and led to the suspension of classes in eight barangays across the city and the neighboring town of Toboso.

Captain Dan Carlo Samoza, the 79th IB’s civil military operations (CMO) officer, confirmed that the evacuees had returned to their homes by the weekend.