FOLLOWING a five-minute gun fight with the government troops, a suspected member of the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) was killed at the hinterlands of Barangay Trinidad in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental past 6 a.m. yesterday, November 21.
Brigadier General Inocencio Pasaporte, commanding officer of the 303rd Infantry Brigade, identified the killed rebel as Victor Baldonado, alias “Rudy”.
Military records showed that Baldonado the Commanding Officer of Section Guerrilla Unit 3 (SGU3), Central Negros Front 1(CN1), Komiteng Rehiyon Negros, Cebu, Bohol, and Siquijor (KR-NCBS).
It added that the group is operating along the tri-boundaries of Guihulngan City, Canlaon City, both of Negros Oriental and Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental.
“Concerned residents of Barangay Trinidad, fed-up with the rebel’s extortion activities and intimidations, gave valuable information on their presence at Sitio Banderahan to government forces,” Pasaporte noted.
Members of the 62nd Infantry Battalion then went to the area and engaged in a gun fight with about five members of the CTG who later on retreated leaving Baldonado’s body behind, he said.
The military reported that an M16 rifle with three magazines loaded with 43 rounds of ammunition and a backpack containing personal belongings and accessories were recovered at the encounter site.
Investigation showed that Baldonado and his group were responsible for numerous human rights violations, which include the killing of Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (Cafgu) member Joselito Raboy last September 24 at Barangay Montilla in Moises Padilla.
They were also part of the group who harassed the Philippine National Police Detachment at Barangay Trinidad on September 10 and November 1 this year, the investigation also showed.