DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental —Two suspected NPA (New People’s Army) members were killed in an encounter between the government troops at 6:10 p.m. of February 28, 2020 in Sitio Agpapatao, Barangay Binobohan, Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental.
Lieutenant Colonel Egberto Dacoscos, commanding officer of the 62nd Infantry Battalion, told CDN Digital in an interview that the bodies of the two men, suspected to be NPAs, had remained unidentified.
Dacoscos said that these two bodies would be turned over tomorrow (February 29) to the barangay officials for proper disposition.
Armed men
“May mga concerned citizens na nagreport sa presence ng mga armado sa area. Mukhang may pinaplano na naman sila na mga liquidations, atrocities and our assessment may connection ito sa NPA anniversary this coming March 29,” Dacoscos said.
(We received reports from concerned citizens about the presence of armed groups in the area. It seemed that they were planning liquidations, atrocities, and according to our assessment this is connected to the NPA anniversary this coming March 29.)
The armed encounter between the government troops and the NPA happened on the day that combat troops from Panay Island tasked to hunt down NPAs in Negros Island arrived in Camp Major Nelson Gerona in Murcia town in Negros Occidental.
Read more: More combat troops from Panay arrive in Bacolod
The combat troops that arrived were Philippine Army soldiers from the 33rd Division Reconnaissance Company (DRC) and they were placed under the operational control of the 303rd Infantry Brigade led by Colonel Inocencio Pasaporte, the brigade’s commander.
Pasaporte also said earlier that he would assess if more combat troops would be deployed to Negros Oriental, which was under his jurisdiction.
How it happened
Meanwhile in Guihulngan town, Dacoscos said that the Alpha Company of the 94th Infantry Battalion led by Lieutenant Joshua Lodriguito under his operational control were conducting combat operations in the area when they encountered more or less 10 suspected members of the NPA.
Dacoscos said that the firefight lasted 12 minutes.
Government troops continue to pursue the fleeing armed men./dbs