CAMP BANCASI, Butuan City – At least 10 New People’s Army (NPA) fighters were killed in a running gunbattle with government troops that started last Sunday at the border of Agusan del Norte and Misamis Oriental.
Lt. Col. Francisco Molina, commanding officer of the 23rd Infantry Battalio, said soldiers recovered on Tuesday the bodies of 10 NPA rebels as the battle raged at border of the two provinces.
The dead rebels were abandoned by their fleeing comrades, the military said. The bodies were immediately brought to two funeral parlors in Gingoog City.
Elements of the 23rd IB have been pursuing around 70 heavily armed members of Guerilla Front 4-A (GF 4-A) of the CPP-NPA Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC) since Sunday.
The soldiers seized bombs and improvised landmines along the rebels escape route, the military reported.
“The running terrorists planted landmines and our troopers were very careful while conducting pursuit operations,” said Molina.
Aside from bombs, 23rd IB soldiers also recovered five high-powered firearms, live ammunitions, cellphones, and subversive documents, the 23rd IB commander said.
The pursuing troops have been given air cover by the Philippine Air Force’s (PAF) strike wing and Tactical Operation Group (TOG) helicopter wing.
The ground Army commander believed that the fleeing rebels were wounded as bloodstains were seen along their withdrawal route.
Molina said the troops first encountered the rebels at Sitio Likudon, Barangay Kamanikan in Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental last Sunday.
Sitio Likudon is at the border of Las Nieves town in Agusan del Norte.
After the Likudon encounter, sporadic gunfights continued in the area as the remaining NPA members scampered in different directions.
According to military report, the 23rd IB launched the operations after villagers reported the presence of around 70 armed rebels in the area.
Upon reaching at Likudon area at around 4 a.m. on Sunday, the rebels fired at approaching troopers that resulted in a 15-minute fierce firefight.
The gunfight continued up to Tuesday, according to 1st Lt. Roel T. Maglalang, Civil Military Operations (CMO) officer of the 23rd IB.
No casualty was reported on the government side.
Brig. Gen. Maurito L. Licudine, commanding general of the Philippine Army’s 402nd Infantry Brigade, commended the troopers for the “success of the military operations as they are expecting more NPA casualties as pursuing troops continued to scour the Agusan del Norte and Misamis Oriental border.
Licudine said the rebels harassed, extorted, and collected food from villagers who recently received relief assistance from the government.
The rebels, he said, were short of food supplies following the lockdowns enforced to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
“The NPA rebels have suffered hunger and exhaustion as their emissaries encountered difficulties in finding supplies of foods and other basic needs,” he told Butuan newsmen. (Mike Crismundo)