A New People’s Army (NPA) rebel was killed while high-powered guns and an anti-personnel mine were seized after a three-hour armed clash between the rebels and government forces in Barangay Sta. Lourdes, Barcelona town in Sorsogon province on Jan. 21.
Joint elements of the 31st Infantry Battalion (31IB), 903rd Infantry Brigade, intelligence units of the Army and Police Regional Office 5 (Bicol), and the Sorsogon provincial police were conducting security operations after some residents tipped off about the presence of NPA members in the area when the encounter took place, Maj. John Paul Belleza, 9th Infantry Division (9ID) spokesperson, said in a statement on Saturday.
“After the fierce gunfight that took almost three hours, (an) NPA member, whose identity is still unknown, was killed while four high-powered firearms were seized from the encounter site,” Belleza said.
Lt. Col. Marlon Mojica, commander of 31IB, directed the troops to continue scouring the area and the nearby barangays to hunt down the fleeing rebels who might take shelter among the residents.
Brig. Gen. Aldwine Almase, commander of the 903rd Brigade, said the successful operation thwarted the communists’ attempt to conduct extortion activities and intimidations against the Sorsoganons.
PRO-5 director, Brig. Gen. Jonnel Estomo, ensured their intensified efforts to protect the public and their communities.
“Kahit abala po tayo sa inilalatag nating seguridad ngayong election period (Though we are busy in making security plans for the upcoming May polls), we will not put our guards down against this terrorist group maging sa sinumang nagpaplanong maghasik ng karahasan dito sa Kabikolan (and whoever plans to sow violence in Bicol),” Estomo said.
Maj. Gen. Alex DC Luna, commander of Joint Task Force (JTF) Bicolandia, on the other hand, lauded the effective interoperability of the Army and the PNP that has been instrumental in the government’s series of successes for the past years.
“Our campaigns have reached new heights because when the JTF Bicolandia, the PNP, and the Bicolanos combine, we become a formidable force. Life is short. Do not waste it in a useless cause,” Luna said.
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) – NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
The Anti-Terrorism Council also formally designated the National Democratic Front as a terrorist organization on June 23, 2021, citing it as “an integral and separate part” of the CPP-NPA that was created in April 1973.
Source: Philippines News Agency
