By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – Four members of the Army’s 94th Infantry Battalion (IB) were injured in an ambush staged by suspected New People’s Army (NPA) at Barangay Luz, Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental on Tuesday night.
Wounded were 2nd Lieutenant Neil Christian Cureg, Sergeant Ronald Sabay, Sergeant Gelmart Alegroso, and Private First Class Joven Ticzon.
Lieutenant Colonel Egberto Dacoscos, 62nd IB commander, said troops of the 94th IB led by Cureg were on board a military truck on the road when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded. Then about five armed men fired their guns at them.
Dacoscos said the soldiers were able to retaliate which led to a 10-minute firefight.
Troops from the 62nd IB responded for reinforcement until the gunmen fled towards Barangay Banog-Banog in Isabela, Negros Occidental.
The Army reported that rebels suffered casualties based on the bloodstains left in the area.
Authorities recovered some materials for IED allegedly used by the rebel group in the attack.
Recently, Barangays Luz and Linantuyan in Guihulngan City have declared the NPA as persona non-grata.
Dacoscos, in a press statement, said that the Leonardo Panaligan Command in Negros is already desperate for they are struggling to get the support of the masses.”
“With the support of the Negrenses, we will never cease our efforts for peace and development anchored in the institutionalization of the Whole-of-Nation-Approach to end the local communist armed conflict,” he added.
Last Friday, two suspected members of the Special Partisan Unit (SParU) of the NPA were killed in a clash at Barangay Binobohan.
In July 2017, six policemen were also killed while engaging in a firefight with suspected NPA at Barangay Magsaysay in the said city.
