Four New People’s Army rebels were killed and two government soldiers were injured in an encounter in Brgy Carabalan, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental, Wednesday morning, March 1, Lt. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, Visayas command chief, confirmed.
The two soldiers were in stable condition, Arevalo added.
Recovered from the rebels were two M-16 rifles, two AK-47 rifles, and two M203 grenade launchers, he said.
Himamaylan City Mayor Raymund Tongson said 81 Carabalan families with about 355 members evacuated from their homes following the encounter.
The military has given the evacuees the go signal to go home, he added.
The 94th Infantry Battalion encountered the about 20 NPA rebels in Carabalan Wednesday morning following a tip from a concerned citizen of their presence, the Army said.
The concerned citizen reported the presence of NPA terrorists extorting food and supplies from residents to the Carabalan barangay officials, the Army added.
Lt. Col. Van Donald Almonte, 94IB commander, commended the efforts of the concerned citizen and barangay officials of Carabalan for reporting the presence of the NPA terrorists.
He called on the remaining NPA rebels to surrender and avail of the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) for a better future.
Col. Orlando Edralin, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, pinned a Wounded Personnel Medal on one of the wounded soldiers at a Bacolod hospital on Wednesday.*