Tuesday, June 14, 2005
13 rebels killed in clash with troops
By Albert B. Lacanlale and Marna H. Dagumboy
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Government troops engaged rebels in a two-hour firefight in the town of Mexico in Pampanga Sunday, as the nation celebrated the 107th anniversary of Philippine Independence.
The gun battle, said to be one of the fiercest fights in the town, led to the death of 13 suspected members of the Rebolusyonaryong Hukbo ng Bayan (RHB), the armed wing of the Marxist-Leninist Party of the Philippines (MLPP) and a splinter group of the mainstream Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA).
A report said elements of the Army's 69th Infantry Battalion under Lieutenant Colonel Ricardo Visaya and the Pampanga Provincial Mobile Group under Superintendent Keith Ernald Singian responded to Barangay San Nicolas in Mexico where the rebels have reportedly been sighted.
Colonel Samuel Narcise, 703rd Infantry Brigade commander, said the rebels were under the area party collective (APC) of the RHB, being led by a certain "Ka Argie", operating in the towns of Mexico, Santa Ana and Arayat.
Residents in San Nicolas, "fed up" with the group's collection of "revolutionary taxes" from them, informed the military of the presence of the rebel group.
Narcise said the encounter practically wiped out the RHB group operating in the areas. This group reportedly only had 15 members.
The group's firearms, which include six M16 rifles, one M653 (Baby Armalite), one M14, one Uzi, one Garand, one Carbine, one Thompson sub-machine gun and one .45 caliber pistol, were also recovered.
Although the slain rebels have yet to be identified, Narcise believes that "Ka Argie", who is known to have used the recovered Uzi rifle, was one of the fatalities.
No casualty was reported among the troops.
Prior to the gunfight in the town of San Nicolas, two suspected RHB members were killed while another three, including the reported head of the APC in Dinalupihan, Bataan, were arrested.
The fatalities were Flores Ricardo, 50, and Leonardo Movilla, alias "Ka Mely", both of Dinalupihan, Bataan.
Their cohorts who were arrested by government authorities were Alvin Yandan alias "Ka Bingbing," of Barangay Magsaysay; Rolado Marzan, 45, of Barangay Roosevelt also in Dinalupihan; and Reynaldo Bitonio, 32, of Samal, Bataan.
Recovered from the suspects were one 9mm Berretta loaded with five ammunitions, one caliber .38 super pistol, four caliber .38 caliber revolvers, three fragmentation hand grenades, four cellphones and several documents.
In a text message circulated to reporters, RHB spokesman Red Olalia said despite the latest incident, the group will continue its fight for the people.
The text message read: "The comrades have made the supreme sacrifice. We lost precious lives. We are not cowed. The people's sufferings command us to pursue the fight." (Sun.Star Pampanga/Sunnex) |
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