Army overruns alleged rebel hideout in Cauayan

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – Two Army battalions overran an alleged hideout of the New People’s Army (NPA) following an armed clash at Sitio Hanot, Barangay Inayawan, Cauayan, Negros Occidental last Thursday.

Troopers of the 15th Infantry Battalion (IB) and 47th IB encountered at least 20 armed rebels led by a certain “Kumpol.”

The firefight lasted for 10 minutes, after which the rebels abandoned their alleged hideout. No casualties were reported.

Military troopers recovered from the encounter site a .45 caliber pistol with magazine and ammunition, a hand cap grenade, electric wires, two cellular phones, medical paraphernalia, food packs, backpacks, anti-personnel mine paraphernalia, subversive documents with high intelligence value, and other personal belongings.

The clash happened while the Army was conducting a combat operation after residents of the said barangay tipped off the soldiers on the alleged presence of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA in their area and their planned alleged extortion activities.

The Army’s 3rd Infantry Division reported that 25 military encounters against CPP-NPA members were recorded within their area of responsibility since January 2022.

These included the neutralization (killed, captured, surrendered) of 76 NPA members and the seizure of 44 firearms covering the said period.