Soldiers kill 3 in Negros encounter

THREE members of the New People’s Army were found dead after an encounter with members of the Philippine Army’s 94th Infantry Battalion and members of the Bindoy Police Station at 4:05 p.m. on Thursday, April 30, 2020.

A soldier was also injured and is confined in a hospital in Negros Oriental.

The military and police officials were on a community patrol in the mountains of Bindoy town and as they were about to head home, the group received information from residents about the presence of armed NPA members in Sitio Namunduan, Barangay Cambudlas in the municipality.

According to the military, despite the Covid-19 crisis, the NPA was still holding extortion activities in Cambudlas and in nearby areas.

The military and police members went to the area and were met with gunfire, resulting to a shooting encounter against 20 armed rebels that lasted for 30 minutes.

Three NPA members died but only two bodies were recovered because the third one fell from a cliff in an attempt to flee.

Police Colonel Julian Entoma, the Negros Oriental Police Office chief, said many NPA members were injured during the encounter but managed to escape and hid in an isolated area in barangay Cambudlas.

The military also held a manhunt operation and checked the hospitals in the province and the barangay health centers to check for individuals who are recovering from bullet wounds.

They have also tightened their checkpoint areas.

“At present, we are intensifying the checkpoint areas in our boundaries so we can see who will try to escape. We also are monitoring hospitals and private clinics since the troopers said they saw a lot of blood in the encounter area,” said Entoma.

Captain Cenon Pancito, the Negros Army 31st Infantry Battalion information officer said they’re going to investigate and find out if the group belongs to the Panaligan Command that is based in Negros Oriental.

“We are still verifying the identities of the fighters, who they really are and which group they belong,” Pancito said.

Pancito also said there’s no letup in their anti-terrorism campaign even if some of the soldiers are helping in the fight against Covid-19.

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) announced on April 30 it was ending its ceasefire agreement with the government and commanded its armed wing, the NPA, to conduct offensive operations.

The CPP also blamed the government for conducting 36 attacks during the ceasefire, a charge that Pancito denied. He said the it was the NPA that attacked members of the military who were conducting relief operations in Samar.

“That’s why we recommended in the last day of the ceasefire not to extend it because the NPA is not to true to its words and doesn’t spare the community of its actions,” Pancito said. (AYB / MMC / ML)

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