Army, Police Clash With NPA in Calatrava

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD CITY – Government forces engaged in a clash with suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Barangay Winaswasan, Calatrava, Negros Occidental, early Tuesday.

Capt. Dan Carlo Samoza, civil military operations officer of the Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion (IB), said the encounter occurred around 6 a.m. while soldiers and police were conducting a joint patrol amid heavy rains.

Initial reports from the 79th IB indicated that about seven unidentified armed men, believed to be remnants of the dismantled Northern Negros Front (NNF), were involved in the skirmish.

No casualties were reported on the government side, according to Samoza.

Some war materiel and personal belongings were recovered, although specific details have yet to be disclosed as the clearing operation is still ongoing.

Samoza noted that these remnants are the same group suspected of being behind the October 16 killing of 54-year-old farmer Danny Brazona in Barangay Marcelo.

Brazona was shot dead in front of his live-in partner and their seven-year-old son, police said.

The NPA recently claimed responsibility for Brazona’s death, accusing him of being a “military asset.”

Samoza, however, stated that the rebel group often labels its targets as “assets” to justify killings and instill fear in communities.

He added that this is the same group that government forces previously pursued during an encounter in Barangay Macasilao, also in Calatrava.

“Our focused military operation is ongoing,” Samoza said.