JOINT military and police forces have clashed against a group of New People’s Army (NPA) rebels as the troops launched combat operation to defeat the NPA remnants in Misamis Occidental, military officials said Wednesday, June 1, 2022.
Lieutenant Colonel Angestal Angeles II, 10th Infantry Battalion commander, said the firefight happened around 8 a.m. Tuesday, May 31, 2022, in the boundary of Matugas Alto and Mialem villages in the town of Jimenez.
Angeles said that the firefight lasted for five minutes after which the NPA rebels scampered to different directions. No casualties on both sides were reported.
The clash ensued barely four days after the 102nd Infantry Brigade (102Bde) has repositioned its forces to defeat the remaining NPA rebels in Misamis Occidental.
“We are now on our final leg in defeating the WMRPC by going against the members of the weakened GF (Guerrilla Front)-Sendong,” Angeles said.
The 102Bde aims to bring down by June the Guerrilla Front Sendong, the last remaining organized front of the NPA’s Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee (WMRPC).
The active members of the remaining NPA are scattered in different areas in Misamis Occidental.
Brigadier General Leonel Nicolas, 102Bde commander, reiterated the call for the leadership and members of the WMRPC to reconsider the peaceful surrender to the government.
“The Brigade has always been firm and sincere in our call for you to lay down your arms and return to the folds of the law. In this way, the government will be able to help you rebuild your lives together with your family,” Nicolas said.
He said they will use the full force of the law to end the armed struggle of the NPA should they continue to sow fear and terror to the peace-loving people of Misamis Occidental.
He urged the community to be vigilant and report any presence of NPA rebels in their community. (SunStar Zamboanga)