SAN JUAN, Ilocos Sur, July 27 – Three New People’s Army rebels were killed in an encounter between Army soldiers and a small band of terrorists in the outskirts of barangay Arangin in Sta. Lucia town Saturday afternoon.
Col. Roy de Vesa, commander of the Army’s 50th Infantry Battalion based in San Juan, Ilocos Sur, said five high-powered firearms and assorted ammunitions were also recovered in the firefight that started at around 1 p.m. until 2 p.m.
De Vesa said the rebels dragged their wounded comrades in their escape to different directions as shown by scattered blood stains along the way.
He said the three cadavers of NPA rebels were discovered in the ongoing clearing operations.
However, only one of them was positively identified while the two others are still unknown as of press time.
The Army has still withheld the identity of the slain rebel, who is reportedly from a town in Ilocos Norte until his relatives have been notified.
The five high-powered firearms recovered included two M-16 armalite rifles, two M-14 rifles and one baby armalite rifle with magazines containing live ammunitions and voluminous subversive documents.
De Vesa said his troops led by one Lt. Bulusan were on foot patrol along the mountainous area of Barangay Arangin in response to reports from concerned civilians about the presence of an estimated 30 fully-armed NPA rebels in the area.
The NPA rebels, allegedly belonging to a small unit called “SYP Sandino” operating along the hinterlands in the second district of Ilocos Sur were reportedly conducting terror and extortion activities in the area.
SYP stands for Sandatahang Yunit Pampropaganda.
“This group of NPA rebels was already under surveillance for a long time by our intelligence operatives since after it was reported that this was responsible for the series of five killings in Sta. Lucia town the last two months,” De Vesa said.
The rebels were sowing terror and intrigues and conducting massive extortion activities because they wanted to re-establish their influence in the area, he added.
He noted that local residents, who were already tired and can no longer tolerate the activities of the rebels, are now reporting the presence of armed men in their area.
De Vesa said the three slain rebels were brought to Funeraria Rosal for autopsy.
