Twin gun battle between army, communist group erupt in Himamaylan City

A TWIN gun battle occurred between the Philippine army and suspected members of the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) at the hinterlands of Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental Thursday, October 6, 2022.

Brigadier General Innocencio Pasaporte, commanding officer of the 303rd Infantry Brigade (IB), said the first encounter took place at Sitio Sig-ang, Barangay Carabalan at about 6 a.m.

Prior to the encounter, Pasaporte said, troops from the 62nd, 94th and 79th Infantry Battalions were deployed to the area after concerned citizens informed the army of the presence of about 20 rebels in the area.

“The gun battle lasted for almost 40 minutes,” he said, adding that they are still trying to ascertain which group the rebels belong to.

The rebels immediately left the area leaving their food and other personal belongings, Pasaporte added.

About 10 hours later, another encounter took place between the army and another group of suspected members of the CTG still near the area of Sitio Sig-ang.

Unlike the earlier encounter yesterday, the one that took place in the afternoon was sporadic and did not last long, Pasaporte said.

He also confirmed that there were bloodstains at the encounter site indicating that there could have been wounded rebels.

Meanwhile, Pasaporte clarified that there was no casualty from the two encounters contrary to what has been reported by other media outlets (not SunStar Bacolod).

Unconfirmed reports circulated that two minors aged 10 and 11 were killed in the earlier encounter while a rebel died in the gun battle in the afternoon.

“None of these are true,” Pasaporte stressed.

Even the Himamaylan City Police Station denied such reports, saying that they have not received information on the alleged casualties.

In a related development, following the encounters at Barangay Carabalan, classes in all levels in Barangay Biao as well as in Payao National High School Extension were suspended starting today, October 7, until further notice, an advisory from the city government said.