By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – The clash between military troopers and suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels resulted in the recovery of a firearm at Sitio Tayubong, Barangay Puso, La Castellana, Negros Occidental on Christmas eve last Sunday.
The encounter broke out when troops of the Army’s 62nd Infantry Battalion (IB) launched an operation after receiving information from the civilians regarding the alleged presence of NPAs in the area.
The firefight lasted for about three minutes. Recovered from the encounter site was a .45 caliber pistol with live ammunition.
Meanwhile, the NPA said that no encounter happened in the town.
In a statement dated December 25, Ka JB Regalado, spokesperson of Leonardo Panaligan Command-NPA Central Negros Guerrilla Front, said that there was no presence of NPA in the area.
On the other hand, the Central Committee, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) National Operations Command, NPA declared on December 23 that all units of the NPA across the country shall observe a two-day suspension of tactical offensives from December 25 to December 26.
The two-day ceasefire aims to allow the peasant masses and NPA units in their area to conduct assemblies, meetings or gatherings to celebrate the Party’s 55th anniversary, as they look back at past achievements, and pay tribute to all heroes and martyrs of the Philippine revolution.
This ceasefire declaration is also in solidarity with people’s traditional holiday celebrations, according to the rebel group.
Guerrilla offensives of the NPA will resume immediately on December 27, the group said.
