BY LIEZLE BASA INIGO
FORT MAGSAYSAY, Nueva Ecija – A New People’s Army (NPA) officer and two of his comrades were killed in a 10-minute gunfight with government troops in Barangay San Alejandro, Quezon, Nueva Ecija on Tuesday night.
Lt. Col. Honorato S. Pascual Jr., 84th Infantry Battalion commanding officer, identified the slain rebels as Nicomendez Ortiz alias “Bunso”, “Peter” and “Dagohoy”, finance officer of the Komiteng Larangan Gerilya (KLG) Sierra Madre; Bernardino Liberato and Merlita Ogalinola, both members of KLG.
Elements of the 84th IB, 91st IB, and Nueva Ecija Police were about to serve arrest warrants for rebellion and murder cases against Ortiz when the encounter happened, according to Pascual.
The troops recovered from the slain rebels several guns and ammunition, a mobile phone and a motorcycle with sidecar.
Crime scene investigators also recovered at the rebels’ house more guns, a hand grenade, a mobile phone, and propaganda materials, among others. (Liezle Basa Inigo)
