NPA rebel killed in clash with soldiers
TACLOBAN CITY- An alleged member of the rebel group New People’s Army was killed in an encounter in a remote village of Jipapad, Eastern Samar last Thursday afternoon.
Lieutenant Colonel Armand Rico, chief of the public relation of the 8th Infantry Division, said that this latest incident involving between the two warring groups took place in Brgy. Cagmanaba, eight kilometers away from the town proper of Jipapad.
The town of Jipapad has been identified by the military where there is still presence of rebel group in the province of Eastern Samar.
Rico said that members of the 63rd Infantry Battalion, led by Lt. Rodrigo Sinoy were having their regular security operations in the area Thursday afternoon when they chanced upon the rebels numbering around 20.
This encounter resulted to a firefight lasting up to 15 minutes that caused the death of one of the rebels, Rico said.
The remains of the killed rebel, who was left behind by his fleeing comrades, were brought to the police station of Jipapad for identification and for his family or relative to claim, Rico said.
The government troops also recovered two M-16 firearms from the rebels, the military spokesperson said.
Rico said that the action of the government troops was part of the security operations against the rebels.
Major General Arthur Tabaquero, commanding general of the division, congratulated the soldiers of the 63rd IB, which is under the command of Lt. Raul Cestona.
The encounter in Jipapad took place just a day after the rebels in Calbiga, Samar, killed two members of the engineering group of the division.
The government troops based in the region have been waging armed campaign against members of the NPA, the armed group of the Communist Party of the Philippines, for close to 40 years now.
While President Macapagal-Arroyo had given the soldiers to quell the insurgency problem in the region within the year, an Army official had admitted that the campaign could not really be attained.
Major Leo Madroñal, chief of the civil military office of the 8th ID, however, said that they are still on track of reducing the NPA group in the region into an “inconsequential level” wherein they could no longer be capable of staging major attacks or recruit new members.
Based on their account, there are about 500 fully armed NPA members in the region, mostly in Samar Island. (JOEY A. GABIETA)
- Govt troops discover NPA camp in N. Samar after brief firefight
- 8th ID: Campaign vs NPA in Eastern Visayas “a success”
- Army soldier wounded in clash with NPAs
- 8th ID claims NPA plans to collect permit to win
- Military: Reducing the number of NPA rebels in EV has become their
