A 30 to 40 year old female member of the New People’s Army (NPA) was killed during a clash yesterday between the Army’s 58th Infantry Battalion and rebel group in Barangay Mantangale, Balingoan, Misamis Oriental, military report said today. Army’s 4th Infantry Division public affairs chief Major Rodulfo Cordero said the government troops encountered more or less 30 NPA rebels at around 4pm in the afternoon. The identity of the victim was still  withheld as families should be informed first about findings and the identification of their loved ones before anyone else, according to Cordero. Balingoan police over radio interview said that the female NPA fighter sustained a gunshot wound in the left thigh during a 25-minute gunfight. Police said she was believed to have lost her blood so she died. Cordero said the troops found the female fighter lifeless who had been abandoned by her comrades on the site of the encounter. The NPA rebels encountered the combined troops of 58IB and 42nd Division reconnaissance company, said Cordero. 58IB civil-military operation officer 1st Lieutenant Jefferson Mariano in an initial investigation identified the fatality as a certain Aka Mitang. Aka Mitang was believed to be a member of Platoon Falcon, Huawei, Sub-Regional Committee 1 (SRC 1), NCMRC. Mariano said the operation was conducted following reports on the presence of the said NPA rebels in the area. The government troops recovered 2 M16 rifles, 3 magazines for AK47, 4 magazines for M14, 3 rifle grenade, 2 signus radio, 3 cellular phones, 3 solar panel, assorted medicines, personal belongings, subversive documents and 18 backpacks after the encounter. “We are very grateful for the swift response by the men in uniform in securing the area,” said Hon. Aaron Paul S. Unabia, Municipal Mayor of Balingoan. Unabia said the LGU Balingoan will do its best to assist the Philippine Army and all other government agencies in putting an end to the insurgency problem and bringing peace and prosperity to the area. "We extend our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family of the killed female rebel,” said 58IB commander Lt. Col. Ricky L Canatoy added that another life was wasted and lost for fighting for the wrong ideologies of the NPA. Canatoy urged the remaining NPA fighters to abandon the armed struggle, return to the folds of the law, and avail the programs of the government. "I truly hope that more NPA rebels will surrender and stop adhering to the lies and deceptions put inside your heads,” said Canatoy. Canatoy also assured NPA rebels  that a good future awaits them as the soldiers will assist from the beginning until they can avail all the benefits under Enhanced Comprehensive and Local Integration Program (E-CLIP). (Ben Balce)