TWO suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA) and an Army trooper were killed, while another soldier was injured in an hour-long firefight between government forces and communist rebels in the hinterlands of Barangay Lawgawan, Bontoc in Southern Leyte Wednesday, August 18, 2021.

The Army has yet to identify the dead rebels, while the identities of the soldiers have been withheld pending notification of their respective families, according to the Philippine Army’s 802nd Infantry Brigade based in Ormoc City.

The rebels were believed to be remnants of Platoon 1-Island Committee Levox of the Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee.

During the clearing operation, Army personnel of the 14th Infantry Battalion recovered one M16 rifle, three backpacks, 10 tents, and personal belongings.

Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto dela Rosa, 14th Infantry Battalion commander, said the NPA rebels “suffered heavy casualties aside from the two confirmed fatalities” as bloodstains were “found aplenty in the encounter site.”

Brigadier General Zosimo Oliveros, commander of 802nd Infantry Brigade, also ordered the deployment of additional troops, including a reinforcement from the 93rd Infantry Brigade, “to hunt down the fleeing members of the armed group.”

In a statement, Oliveros urged the support of local officials and residents in ending the insurgency problems in the country.

On August 16, a total of 18 rebels were also killed during the encounter with government soldiers and NPA rebels in Dolores, Eastern Samar. (SunStar Philippines)