Another New People’s Army (NPA) member was killed in a clash with troops of the Philippine Army’s 15th Infantry Battalion (15IB) in the southern town of Cauayan, Negros Occidental on Sunday afternoon, May 21.

The fatality, who was the 10th NPA member to have died during the series of encounters on Negros Island over the weekend, has yet to be identified as of yesterday.

Lt. Colonel Michael Cuarteros, commanding officer of 15IB, extended his sympathies to the family of the slain rebel as he urged the remaining combatants to abandon the armed struggle.

“The community understands that real progress and development can only be achieved by ending local communist armed conflict,” he said in a statement.

Second Lt. Weann Sandag, the civil-military operations officer of 15IB, said the soldiers engaged the rebels from the NPA’s South West Front after receiving reports of the presence of armed men in Sitio Bajay in Barangay Caliling, where the troops have been conducting a mobile community support sustainment program.

The five-minute firefight at around 3:00 p.m. resulted in the death of the NPA fighter, whose body was brought to the Cauayan District Hospital.

After the security operation, the troops recovered a caliber. 45 pistol, an anti-personnel mine with a detonating device and blasting cap, two magazines, several rounds of ammunition, a backpack, and subversive documents.

Meanwhile, the bodies of the five NPA fighters killed during a series of encounters in Barangay Quintin Remo, Moises Padilla town early Saturday morning, May 20, have already been identified and claimed by their families, the Philippine Army said.

The rebels, belonging to the NPA’s Central Negros Front 1, encountered troops of the 62nd Infantry Battalion (62IB) three times prior to the gunfight.

The first encounter was in Sitio Napiluan at 5:05 a.m., then in Sitio Oway-Oway about 40 minutes later.

At past 7:00 a.m., the blocking team of 62IB engaged withdrawing rebels in another firefight.

During the pursuit operation on Sunday morning, four more NPA rebels died when they clashed anew with the 62IB troops in Barangay Trinidad, Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental. (PNA)