Soldier killed in Negros clash, suspect arrested

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — The Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion confirmed the death of a soldier initially reported wounded in an armed encounter with suspected New People’s Army rebels in Barangay Tamlang, Escalante City, Negros Occidental, on Monday.

1st Lt. Fevie Fajardo, civil-military operations officer of the 79th IB, said the slain soldier, a private first class, was killed in action after sustaining a gunshot wound to the head.

She said the soldier was serving as a guide for military troops conducting monitoring operations related to recent shooting incidents in neighboring Toboso town when the armed encounter occurred at 2:10 p.m.

Fajardo said the soldier’s family appealed for privacy during this difficult time.

She said the Army would release the soldier’s name soon.

The firefight was initially reported in Toboso, Negros Occidental, but was later confirmed to have occurred within the vicinity of Escalante City.

Fajardo said another soldier sustained a minor hand injury after hitting a rock during a pursuit operation along a difficult trail in the upland village.

Fajardo said personnel had been reminded that retaliatory attacks from the enemy were expected, especially after the deadly armed encounter in Toboso that killed 19 people.

She said the operation was legitimate, as troops had been deployed in the area.

Fajardo said such risks were part of the job for military personnel.

“Nagkataon lang talaga siguro,” she added.

She said that while the military remained vigilant and careful, the enemy had also become more cautious because of its dwindling number.

However, she stressed that military troops were on high alert and were not complacent.

The firefight displaced more than 500 residents from five sitios in the barangay.

The residents returned home from evacuation centers Tuesday after authorities cleared the encounter site.

Meanwhile, a 41-year-old man alleged to be an NPA rebel was arrested at a police checkpoint in Barangay Mabini, Escalante City, later that night.

Police Lt. Col. Florendo Fajardo, chief of the Escalante City Police Station, identified the suspect as Jan-Jan.

Fajardo said Jan-Jan was a listed drug personality in the city who allegedly replaced a former drug personality killed during the service of a drug-related arrest warrant in Barangay Jonob-Jonob, Escalante City, on April 15.

Fajardo said officers flagged down Jan-Jan, but he refused to stop.

He abandoned his motorcycle and fled on foot, leading to a brief chase and his arrest.

Police recovered a .45-caliber firearm with a magazine loaded with five rounds of ammunition, a grenade, and suspected illegal drugs, Fajardo said.

Fajardo said information gathered by police showed that Jan-Jan had reported links to the NPA, based on a paper trail of his drug group’s alleged transactions with the rebels.

Jan-Jan was also reportedly seen fleeing toward the direction of alleged remnants of the dismantled Northern Negros Front-D in Barangay Paitan, Escalante City, hours after the clash that afternoon.

Fajardo said proximity was also a factor in the investigation, though Jan-Jan remains subject to further probe.

The Escalante clash came more than a month after the 79th IB encountered the NNF-D in Barangay Salamanca, Toboso, on April 19.

The Toboso encounter killed 19 people, including Roger Fabillar Tapang, an alleged NPA leader whom authorities had linked to the killings of civilians, farmers, and barangay officials in northern Negros since 2023.

The NPA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, which has waged one of Asia’s longest-running insurgencies.