THREE female rebels and a male companion were killed in a series of clashes between the military and New People’s Army in Claveria town in Misamis Oriental and Butuan City yesterday.
Major General Jose Maria Cuerpo, commander of the Army 4th Infantry Division said the first clash happened in Sitio Dugyanan, Barangay Anticala in Butuan City with an NPA band that was “so large” that they have to call in air support to engage the rebels.
Cuerpo said a pair of Philippine Air Force Turkish-made T129B attack helicopters arrived and pounded rebel positions at the slopes of Mount Apo-apo in Sitio Dugyanan, Barangay Anticala in Butuan City.
He said the soldiers retrieved the bodies of two female NPA rebels and their male companion from the camp that they left behind.
The soldiers also seized 15 high-powered firearms left behind by the rebels.
“The rebels put up stiff opposition forcing us to call for air support to soften their defenses,” Brig. Gen. George Banzon, chief of the Army 901st Brigade who was supervising the operations, said.
Banzon said the soldiers fired at the communist rebels as they were preparing their food for lunch and washing their clothes in a nearby creek.
He said the guerrillas were able to recover from their initial surprise and started to fight back prompting the call of air support.
Meanwhile in Claveria town, Misamis Oriental, Col. Christian Uy, commander of the 58th Infantry Battalion said his troops also killed a female NPA member in a clash in Sitio Kalhaan, Barangay Minalwang Wednesday afternoon.
Uy said his troops are still searching for the 15 other NPA rebels who withdrew from the encounter site.
4ID spokesperson Maj. Francisco Garello Jr. said identification of the dead rebels will start as soon as the soldiers bring the bodies to the town centers.
“Right now, the bodies are still up in the mountains. Once they are brought down, we will ask former rebels to identify them,” Garello said.
Garello said the 15 firearms seized are five AK 47, four M4 rifles, two M16 rifles with M203 grenade launchers, and four AR-18 rifles.
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