By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Two alleged insurgents of the New People’s Army (NPA) were killed in a gun battle with the Philippine Army’s 62nd Infantry Battalion (62IB) at Barangay Montilla’s Sitio Balungay in Negros Occidental’s Moises Padilla town late Thursday night, July 20.

Authorities have identified one of the fatalities as Marivic “Ivan” Ebarle, believed to be the commanding officer of the NPA Central Negros Front.

The other fatality has yet to be identified.

First Lt. Mary Liza Joy de Guzman, 62IB civil military officer, said the NPA members went down from the mountains to ask for support from the local residents.

De Guzman said it was likely that they were forced to go down due to hunger.

However, local residents immediately informed 62IB to send their units to the area.

“The troops immediately responded to information of the enemy presence from the report of concerned citizens in Barangay Montilla,” the 62IB said in a statement.

The gun battle lasted for at least 15 minutes before the six-member NPA group retreated from the encounter site.

Two more alleged NPA members were wounded in the clash as they found bloodstains on their withdrawal route.

Meanwhile, the Army said Ebarle was one of the primary suspects in murder, harassment and extortion activities in the town, and in neighboring La Castellana town and Negros Oriental’s Canlaon City.

The 62IB has also called out the two wounded NPA members to surrender, as government troops will tirelessly hunt them down.

Government forces recovered a .45 caliber pistol, a .357 revolver, 21 pieces of .45 caliber bullets, six .357 caliber bullets, two magazines for a .45 caliber pistol, medical kits, and backpacks containing personal belongings./With reports from PNA / DGB, WDJ