ILOIO CITY — The Philippine Army’s 61st Infantry Battalion (61 IB) was able to thwart an imminent attack of the New People’s Army (NPA) against a hydro-power plant in Igbaras, a town in southern Iloilo province.
This is after government troops clashed Saturday with 10 NPA rebels in Curocuan, a village neighboring the village where the hydro-plant of Century Peak Energy Corp. (CPEC) is located.
61 IB Commander Lt. Col. Joel Benedict Batara said there were exchange of gunfire until the NPA rebels withdrew.
No government troops were injured, but there may be wounded NPA rebels as there was a trail of blood marks in their escape route.
Recovered from the encounter site were an M16 rifle, ammunition, an NPA flag, food items, medical supplies, slippers, leaflets, and other supplies.
Batara reiterated that the Igbaras local government has already declared the NPA rebels as persona non grata with their attacks on civilians and business establishments.
The NPA previously raided CPEC’s hydro-power plant when it was still under construction. In that 2018 incident, a female employee was wounded.
The communist rebels are believed to be members of NPA’s Southern Front in Panay Island. Their leader, Melgar “Mar” Besmanos, has been linked to murder of civilians and extortion activities. (Tara Yap)