By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – Two intelligence operatives of the Army’s 47th Infantry Battalion (IB) were killed in an ambush allegedly staged by the New People’s Army (NPA) at Sitio Camboguiot, Barangay Camindangan, Sipalay City, Negros Occidental yesterday.
Police identified the fatalities as Sergeant Regie Glendro and Staff Sergeant Ken Camilan, 41, both residents of Barangay Tapi, Kabankalan City.
Both soldiers were assigned to their company headquarters based in Barangay Haba, Candoni town.
Police Lieutenant Anthony Sa-ing, deputy police chief of Sipalay City Police Station, said the two soldiers were riding a motorcycle and approaching a curve part of the road when a group of unidentified armed persons shot them around 11 a.m.
The victims succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds, according to Sa-ing.
Police recovered from the scene five fired bullets of caliber 5.56 ammunition, and six fired bullets of .45 caliber ammo.
Sa-ing believed that the victims were probably identified by the perpetrators.
Brigadier General Leonardo Peña, commander of the 302nd Infantry Brigade (IBde), said the victims were on their way to conduct local peace engagement coordination when the incident happened.
Peña said the victims’ task was not related to their intelligence job at that time, but more on the peace efforts of the Army in the area before conducting an activity.
Peña said that pursuit operations are ongoing to hunt down the perpetrators.
He believed that remnants of the NPA are doing their best to recover their strength in the area.
“Ngayon lang ulit nangyari ito doon sa area. Na timing lang,” Peña said.
Peña noted the importance of the local government in addressing the root causes of poverty, and injustices by providing government services. “We cannot solve this alone. This is not a military solution,” he said.
But, he assured that the military will not stop hunting down the NPA rebels.
