By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Three suspected New People’s Army (NPA) members were killed late Thursday afternoon following an encounter in a far-flung area of Barangay Marcelo in Calatrava, Negros Occidental.

The Philippine Army identified the three rebels as Peter Dayanan, a resident of Escalante City; Mae Roman Dayanan of Cadiz City; and Sulpicio Herman, Jr., a resident of Don Salvador Benedicto.

Philippine Army 79th Infantry Battalion (79IB) commander, Lt. Colonel Emelito Thaddeus Logan, said they responded to the barangay’s Sitio Banwa Minatay after residents complained about an insurgent presence.

A gun battle ensued between 79IB soldiers and an estimated 12 NPA rebels.

After 30 minutes, the rebels were forced to pull back, leaving behind the remains of three fighters. One soldier, identified as Staff Sgt. Edwin Gardose, was wounded in the fight and is currently reported to be in stable condition.

The 79IB recovered an AK-47 assault rifle with seven magazines; M16 assault rifle with five magazines; four M14 magazines with live ammunition; three rifle grenades; two handheld radios; and backpacks filled with personal belongings and subversive documents, which Logan characterized as “high intelligence value.”

The remains of the three rebels were turned over to the town’s local police and were later recovered by relatives over the weekend./DGB, WDJ