A man wanted for murder and believed to be a Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) rebel was killed over the weekend in an encounter with the 62nd Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental.
The fatality was identified as Randy Tapales who, the Guihulngan police said, had two existing warrants of arrest and is also the suspect in the killing of a soldier in July 2020, a media release from the Philippine Army stated Monday.
The firefight that lasted for about five minutes took place around 7 p.m. on Sunday in the hinterlands of Sitio Pitik-Pitik in Barangay Luz after government troops received information on the presence of armed men in the area.
The military recovered one caliber .357 revolver, one .45 caliber pistol with magazines and ammunition, and a hand grenade.
“The Army is in control of the situation. We assure everyone that despite the pandemic, we will not let our guards down and we will continue to go after these terrorists NPAs who continue to sow fear in the communities,” said Brig. Gen. Inocencio Pasaporte, commander of the 303rd Infantry Brigade, in a statement. “We will pursue the NPA to eradicate them from Negros Island.”
The CPP-NPA is also listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (PNA)
Source: Philippines News Agency