Soldier hurt, four rebels nabbed in clash

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

 

BACOLOD City – A member of the Army’s 94th Infantry Battalion (IB) was injured while four suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA) were arrested after an armed clash at Sitio Cunalum, Barangay Carabalan, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental Thursday.

According to Major Cenon Pancito III, spokesperson of 3rd Infantry Division, the encounter happened while eight military troopers were verifying information about the alleged presence of armed persons in the area.

Government forces engaged in a firefight against about five suspected NPAs past 1 am.

The firefight lasted for about five minutes. A soldier suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital, Pancito said.

Pancito said the clash also resulted in the arrest of four individuals believed to be members of the NPA’s Yunit Militia.

Based on a report from Police Regional Office (PRO)-6, the arrested suspects were Francisco Verde Jr., 37; Jovel Pacheco, 41; Gene Boy Verde, 32; and Ronald Pacheco, 22, of the said village.

Authorities recovered from them a .22-caliber rifle with a magazine and nine live cartridges, an improvised shotgun with six live ammunitions, a .357-caliber revolver loaded with four live cartridges and two fired cartridges, a .38-caliber revolver loaded with three live cartridges, a live M79 grenade, and 23 live cartridges of 5.56 mm ammunition.

Pancito said the arrested suspects are now in the custody of Himamaylan City Police Station.