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THREE members of the New People’s Army were found dead after an encounter with members of the 94th Philippine Army Infantry Battalion and members of the Bindoy Police Station at 4:05 p.m. on Thursday April 30, 2020.
A soldier was also wounded and is admitted to a hospital in Negros Oriental.
Military and police officers were on a community patrol in the mountains of the city of Bindoy and when they were about to return home, the group received information from residents about the presence of armed NPA members at Sitio Namunduan, Barangay Cambudlas in the town.
According to the military, despite the Covid-19 crisis, the NPA still carried out extortion activities in Cambudlas and in nearby areas.
The military and police went to the area and encountered gunfire, resulting in a 30-minute shooting encounter against 20 armed rebels.
Three members of the NPA died but only two bodies were recovered because the third fell from a cliff in an attempt to flee.
Police Col. Julian Entoma, chief of the Negros Oriental Police Office, said many NPA members were injured during the encounter, but managed to escape and hide in an isolated area in Barangay Cambudlas.
The army also carried out a human hunting operation and inspected the province’s hospitals and Barangay health centers to verify if there are people recovering from gunshot wounds.
They have also strengthened their checkpoint areas.
“Right now, we are stepping up the checkpoint areas at our limits so we can see who will try to escape. We are also monitoring private hospitals and clinics as the soldiers said they saw a lot of blood in the rendezvous area, “Entoma said.
Captain Cenon Pancito, an information officer for the Negros Army’s 31st Infantry Battalion, said they will investigate and find out if the group belongs to Panaligan Command based in Negros Oriental.
“We are still verifying the identities of the fighters, who they really are and what group they belong to,” Pancito said.
Pancito also said there is no pause in his anti-terror campaign, even if some of the soldiers are aiding in the fight against Covid-19.
On April 30, the Philippine Communist Party (CPP) announced that it would end its ceasefire agreement with the government and ordered its armed wing, the NPA, to carry out offensive operations.
The CPP also blamed the government for carrying out 36 attacks during the ceasefire, a charge that Pancito denied. He said it was the NPA that attacked the military conducting relief operations in Samar.
“That is why we recommend on the last day of the ceasefire not to extend it because the NPA is not faithful to its words and does not spare the community its actions,” said Pancito. (AYB / MMC / ML)
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