Ex-NPA member aids military in recovering firearm

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD CITY – Troopers of the Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion (IB) recovered a firearm hidden in a battleground in Sitio Mansulao, Barangay Pinapugasan, Escalante City, Negros Occidental, yesterday, five months after clashes occurred in the area in February.

A former member of the New People’s Army (NPA), who recently surrendered to the military, revealed the location of the assault rifle, a 5.56mm (M653) with seven rounds of live ammunition and a short magazine.

The former rebel was one of four remnants of the dismantled Northern Negros Front (NNF-D) who surrendered last month.

They were part of the “Battle of Pinapugasan” in Escalante City from February 21 to 27, which resulted in the deaths of three NPA rebels and injuries to three soldiers and a militiaman.

The ex-NPA member guided the troopers to a location about 300 meters southeast of the initial encounter site.

The high-powered firearm was found in a creek and forested area of the main battleground in Barangay Pinapugasan.

Lieutenant Colonel Arnel Calaoagan, 79th IB commander, called the recovery of the firearm a triumph for the people of Negros.

“It serves as a symbol of despair, weak leadership, and desolation of the remaining rebel remnants,” he said.

Calaoagan emphasized that the rebels’ decision to abandon their rifles to save their lives underscores that war is not and will never be an option to achieve what is rightfully ours; it is by peace.

“Rest assured that we will sustain it and we will finish the fight,” he added.

These accomplishments result from continuous focused military operations combined with Civil Military and Information Collection activities by the 79th IB, aimed at sustaining peace and development and maintaining the current Stable Internal Peace and Security (SIPS) status in northern Negros and the entire Negros Island.