By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – An alleged member of the New People’s Army (NPA) was killed in a clash with military troopers in Barangay Trinidad, Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental yesterday.
The Army, however, has yet to identify the slain rebel.
Brigadier General Inocencio Pasaporte, commander of the Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade (IBde), said that troopers of the 62nd Infantry Battalion (IB) responded to a report regarding the alleged presence of unidentified armed persons in the area.
Military troopers engaged in a brief firefight with at least five armed persons around 6 a.m.
Recovered from the encounter site was an M16 rifle with three magazines and several ammunition.
Pasaporte said the NPA rebels probably wanted to recover their support group in the area, following the reduction of their presence.
However, Pasaporte said that residents in the barangay have already supported the government’s efforts to end the insurgency in the province, making it difficult for these rebels to recover.
Last month, two clashes also occurred in the city, claiming the lives of two alleged NPA rebels.
