The Philippine Army in Negros Occidental insisted that the clash with the New People’s Army on Tuesday, July 26, that claimed the lives of three rebels in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental, was legitimate.
This, after Ka Juanito Magbanua, spokesperson of the NPA’s Apolinario Gatmaitan Command, alleged that Christina Jacolbe, her 16-year-old daughter Kaye and their relative Roldan Montero were massacred by members of the 62nd Infantry Battalion.
The Army said the three killed in a 10-minute firefight were NPA members.
Brig. Gen. Inocencio Pasaporte, commanding general of the 303rd Infantry Brigade, said on Wednesday that he was expecting the NPA to twist the truth to discredit the Army, which is not surprising since they have done the same thing in the past.
He stressed that the state troopers who happened to be at the nearby Barangay Macagahay in Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental, only responded to the reported presence of armed men that resulted to the encounter.
He added that the community had been very active in reporting sightings of the NPA in their area.
Pasaporte said the Jacolbe family had been with the rebel movement for years.*