ORMOC CITY-Two alleged members of the New People’s Army (NPA) were killed while a soldier was wounded in an encounter in Pambujan town, Northern Samar on Saturday (July 22) at about 12: 55 pm.
The dead rebels were identified as Jerry Lutao alias ‘Nadi’ and Brando Obiado alias ‘Idol’ and team leader of the front committee I, sub-regional committee emporium of the rebel group operating in Northern Samar.
Private First Class Perry Idanan was hit on his upper shoulder and is now in a medical facility and said to be in stable condition.
The two warring groups engaged in a 20 -minute firefight in sitio Badulan of Barangay Cagbigajo, a remote village more than five kms away from the town center.
The soldiers, who belong to the 19th Infantry Battalion headed by Lt. Col.Marvin Maraggun, were in the area to respond to an information that the 10-composed rebels were there to harass the locals.
The government troops also recovered three high-powered firearms-one 1M14 and 2 M16.
The bodies of the dead rebels were brought to the rural health center for their relatives to claim. They were identified by their former comrades in the underground movement.
Meantime, government troopers recovered three firearms from the rebels as a result of a separate encounter in a remote village in Catbalogan City, Samar.
The firearms were recovered by the members of the 87th Infantry Battalion after they engaged the rebels in Brgy. Bangon in the said city on Friday (July 21) at about 10:40 am.
The soldiers went to the area after receiving information on the presence of rebels in the village who were demanding financial support from the villagers.
The recovered firearms consisted of three M16A1 rifles, a hand grenade and several rounds of magazines.
During his visit to Northern Samar on July 14, President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr., has declared that he is confident that the insurgency problem in Eastern Visayas, particularly in Northern Samar, will come to its end by within the year.
Northern Samar is considered to be the ‘last bastion’ of communist insurgency in the region with only one remaining guerilla front operating.
(ROBERT DEJON)
