MAKILALA, North Cotabato (PNA) – Government troops clashed with the New People’s Army over the weekend in a communist-infiltrated village here, leaving one rebel dead and five others injured, according to police and the military.
Army Colonel Harold Argamosa, 39th Infantry Battalion commanding officer, in a report, identified the slain rebel as Rojit Ranara of CPP-NPA-NDF Front 51.
In a statement released by the 10th Infantry Division, elements of the 39th IB and Makilala PNP responded to a report that communist rebels have harassed the driver and cargo truck of Santos Land Development Corporation (SLDC), a banana firm operating in North Cotabato.
The incident is seen as a big blow to the ongoing peace talks between the government and the National Democratic Front (NDF).
In Rome, NDF leaders expressed dismay over the encounter that took place on the second day of the peace talks with the government peace panel.
“Kung walang mapapakitang dahilan ang GRP (government), mas malamang na hindi na ‘to matuloy,” said NDF peace panel member Benito Tiamzon.
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza said the incident underscores the importance of a bilateral ceasefire.
In a message from New York where he is attending two forums on peace, Dureza said that “a bilateral ceasefire, with guidelines and mechanism in place, is becoming all the more needed and imperative, otherwise the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the NPA will have their own reports and accusations favorable to their own version and interest, or propaganda line.”
A spokesperson for the communist movement in Southern Mindanao, Rigoberto Sanchez, said in a statement that eight soldiers and an NPA rebel were killed in the clashes.
But 10th Infantry Division commander Major General Rafael Valencia refutes the rebels’ claim regarding the killing of soldiers and even challenged the members of the NPA to name the said casualties.
“The 10ID invites the public to scrutinize the records of the Makilala MPS, interview the people around the encounter site and check on all hospitals and funeral parlors in Regions 11 and 12 to determine who is telling the truth,” said Valencia.
The 10th ID said as the soldiers were heading toward Barangay Biangan at 5 p.m., they were fired upon by still undetermined number of rebels. An hour-long firefight erupted.
The next day, clashes erupted anew at 5:30 a.m., leaving one rebel killed and the recovery of three M-16 rifles and personal belongings of the slain rebel. (With reports from Yas D. Ocampo, Francis T. Wakefield and Rocky Nazareno)