Friday, August 29, 2008 Army recovers rifle in Davao; 4 rebels surrender in Sarangani
KIDAPAWAN CITY -- Elements of the Army's 39th Infantry Battalion recovered on Thursday a high-powered firearm after they encountered a number of communist guerillas in a village in Davao City, belated reports from the 10th Infantry Division said.
In Sarangani, four members of Front 71 of the New Peoples Army (NPA) yielded on Wednesday their firearms to the Army's 1002nd Brigade.
Reports said the troops led by 2nd Lieutenant Jay Ursua of the 39th IB chanced upon an undetermined number of NPA rebels believed to be under Front 54 at Sitio Katkat, Barangay New Daliaoan in Toril District, Davao City, around 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
The fighting came after the soldiers received reports from members of the Barangay Defense System (BDS), mostly civilian volunteers that a number of NPA rebels were spotted massing in the interior portion of the village.
Lieutenant Colonel Lyndon Paniza, 39th IB commander, in a report said the firefight lasted only for 10 minutes but his men patrolling the area were able to drive the rebels away, leaving behind an M16 armalite rifle.
Paniza said one rebel was wounded during the fighting but was carried by his companions as shown by traces of blood in the encounter site.
Paniza said the support of the community has disrupted plans of the NPA to conduct extortion activities in Toril.
In Sarangani, four NPA rebels identified as Martino Alcoas, 30; Jun Salutan, 29; Carlito Segafu, 28; and Daniel Laceras, 21, all members of NPA Front 71 yielded their firearms to Army 1st Lieutenant Joel C Wayagwag, commander of the Foxtrot Company of 72nd Battalion of the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu) in Barangay Poblacion in Malapatan, Sarangani.
The rebels operate in the mountainous area of the towns of Malapatan, Alabel and Glan in Sarangani Province.
They yielded a Garand rifle, Carbine rifle, a Springfield rifle, and a Thomgram sub-machinegun and assorted types of magazines and ammunitions, reports said.
In a statement, Army Major General Jogy Leo Fojas, commander of the 10th Infantry Division, said the "surrender is a clear indication that the CPP-NPA-NDF is suffering combat defeats".
"We expect more to surrender in the days to come as we have received reports from our line units about surrender feelers," he said. (MCM)
