Government troops have recovered weapons and the body of suspected member of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army believed killed in an encounter in Barangay Bagtic, La Libertad in northern Negros Oriental on Monday.
Maj. Cenon Pancito III, spokesperson of the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, quoted an initial report as saying that soldiers of the Army’s 62nd Infantry Battalion clashed with armed men believed to be NPA members and later discovered the body and war materiel, at the clash site in Sitio Mabanga.
Soldiers recovered one M16 rifle; one long magazine for M16; an improvised explosive device; a rifle grenade; three backpacks; four cellular phones; one small solar panel; and subversive documents.
The remains were later identified as that of Aldrin Pecore Faburada, described to be in his early 20s, and resident of Sitio Cangsampo, Barangay Bagtic in La Libertad.
S/Sgt. Junrey Bandic, desk officer of the La Libertad police station, told the Philippine News Agency that Bernaldo and Ritchel Faburada, assisted by an official of their village, claimed the body of their son on Tuesday afternoon.
On March 15, soldiers from the 62nd Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army clashed with armed men believed to be NPA members belonging to the Central Negros 1, Kilusang Rehiyong Negros Cebu Bohol Siquijor in Sitio Mabanga, Barangay Bagtic.
Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Eric Vinoya, commander of the 3rd Infantry (Spearhead) Division of the Philippine Army, said in a media release, “the encounter was a product of the vigilance and support of the local populace to the Army by feeding correct and timely information on the movement of Communist terrorist groups, and the unending efforts and strategies of every Spearhead Trooper in intensifying the government’s campaign against insurgency in the region.”
He said they would mobilize all of their capabilities to make sure that these communist-terrorists will not have the opportunity to unleash violence on the island.
The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (Judy F. Partlow/PNA)
