By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

A suspected member of the New People’s Army-Special Partisan Unit (NPA-SPARU) was shot dead following a Sunday clash with the Philippine Army in Cauayan.

Police identified the fatality as 20-year-old George Ylanan of Purok 2 in the town’s Barangay Camalanda-an.

In a report by Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO) director, Police Senior Superintendent Rodolfo Castil, Jr., around 5:00 p.m., a Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) member, identified as Wilson Geresola, together with his detachment commander, Staff Sergeant Jose Jessie Pareño, visited the area to meet with Barangay Captain Caesar Peñas.

While returning to their detachment, an unidentified person wearing a green t-shirt with “an ARMY name” on the left side drew his firearm and shot Geresola but missed.

This prompted Pareño to grapple with  the gunman, with both falling to the ground.

Geresola managed to retrieve the gun from the suspect, who eventually escaped and fled towards the mountainous area of the said barangay, along with three others.
Pareño alerted his team and conducted a hot pursuit operation against the suspect, ending with no resulting arrest.

A concerned citizen later informed the detachment commander the suspected NPA-SPARU member was seen inside a nipa hut, accompanied by two others, located in the aforementioned mountainous area, beside the home of a certain Jeryn Palermo.

Pareño, alongside members of his team, proceeded to the location and, upon reaching the area, were spotted by Ylanan, who reportedly opened fire.

The suspect’s firearm, however, reportedly jammed and he was killed after soldiers opened fire.

Pareño contacted the Cauayan Municipal Police Station, along with other soldiers in the area and, who recovered one improvised pistol, several 12-gauge shotgun ammunition units, a .38 caliber revolver, two .45 caliber magazines, a mobile phone, and two camouflage t-shirts.

Castil added, Ylanan is also on the town’s drugs watchlist./DGB, WDJ