ARMY personnel from 78th Infantry Battalion (IB) recovered guns after a 25-minute firefight with suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Barangay San Andres, Borongan City, Eastern Samar Monday, May 3, 2021.
The fleeing rebels left behind four M16 rifles, one M653 Rifle, one AK47, subversive documents, and numerous personal belongings, according to Civil Military Operations Officer Captain Sherfrancis Saquing.
There were no casualties on the government side while bloodstains were seen in the rebel’s escape routes.
The troops were conducting a security patrol around 2:20 p.m. Monday when they encountered an undetermined number of rebels, the Army official said in a statement.
Meanwhile, 78th IB Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Oliver Alvior lauded the civilian population who, according to him, “provided vital information for the success of the mission.”
Eastern Visayas, particularly the Samar Island, remained a hotbed of insurgency with the continued presence of the NPA, who has been waging a Maoist-inspired guerrilla war since the late 1960s. (SunStar Philippines)