An Army corporal was slightly wounded following back-to-back encounters between government troops and remnants of the New People’s Army’s (NPA) Northern Negros Front in Sitio Pinyahon, Brgy. Minautok, Calatrava, Negros Occidental, on Monday, April 6.
Brig. Gen. Ted Dumosmog, commander of the 303rd Infantry Brigade, said that 79th Infantry Battalion soldiers recovered an M-16 assault rifle believed to have been abandoned by a wounded rebel during their retreat.
Residents disclosed that the fleeing insurgents were seen carrying injured comrades, leaving a trail of bloodstains along their withdrawal route, Dumosmog said.
The rebel group was reportedly led by Roger Fabillar, alias “Jhong,” the commanding officer of the remnants of the NPA’s dismantled Northern Negros Front, he said.
Fabillar’s group has been responsible for a series of civilian killings in the hinterlands of Calatrava, Toboso, Escalante, and Victorias City since 2024, Dumosmog said.
Fabillar, who also uses the alias Arnel Tapang, currently carries a ₱2 million bounty for his arrest and is facing multiple murder charges in court.
The encounters began after the 79th Infantry Battalion responded to civilian reports regarding the presence of eight armed rebels in the area.
The initial encounter broke out at approximately 8:35 a.m. and lasted for 15 minutes, forcing the rebels to scatter. Just 10 minutes later, a second skirmish erupted in the same vicinity as soldiers intercepted the fleeing insurgents.
Pursuit operations against the rebels are underway.*
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