By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

 Joint elements of the Philippine Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion (79IB) and the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force have seized a hidden arms cache of the New People’s Army (NPA) at Barangay Maaslob’s Sitio Bandol in Negros Occidental’s Calatrava town on Saturday, July 8.

According to the 79IB, the troops made the discovery after they were tipped off by residents who support the government’s anti-insurgency campaign.

The arms cache is believed to have been the buried remnants of the defunct NPA unit, the Northern Negros Front.

Government forces recovered a loaded M14 rifle, M16 magazines, ammunition clips for an M1 Garand rifle, commercial radios, and subversive documents.

In a statement, 79IB commander, Lt. Colonel Arnel Calaogan commended his troops and the efforts of the concerned residents for providing relevant and timely information that led to the seizure of war materials and documents.

He further impart that 79IB will sustain the gains and be relentless in pursuing its commitment to ensure the safety and security of the Negrenses.

‘NPA’ killed in Himamaylan encounter anew

An alleged NPA member died in a series of encounters between the 94IB and the armed group at Barangay Carabalan in the province’s Himamaylan City on Friday, July 7.

An initial encounter happened in Sitio Pangi at around 7:00 a.m., 94IB commander, Lt. Colonel Van Donald Almonte said.

Government troops clashed with 10 NPA members after they acted on a tip from an alleged disgruntled NPA member, he added.

“[The NPA] retreated to the north, prompting the pursuing troops to engage in a second encounter two kilometers away from the previous site,” the 94IB said.

“Another firefight ensued for approximately ten minutes before the NPAs dispersed in different directions,” it added.

An M4A1 rifle with ammunition was recovered from the encounter site./DGB, WDJ