3 NPAs killed in clash with troops in Kalinga

Amazon yields to soldiers 

BALBALAN, Kalinga -- Three New People’s Army guerillas were believed killed here May 20 when they battled troopers from the 50th Infantry Battalion (50 IB) in around 1:30 p.m. in Sitio Ibong, Barangay Balbalasang.

Colonel Leopoldo Imbang Jr, 503rd Infantry Brigade (503IB) commander, said hours later the body of one of the slain rebels was intercepted inside a van at a military checkpoint in Sitio Guesang, Barangay Salegseg in the same town.

On May 10, operating troops also led by 2Lt. Tecson discovered two NPA camps in this hinterland municipality bringing to four the discovered camps in the area of responsibility of the Defender Battalion this year.

Found on these camps were 15 huts, tents, flashlights, kitchen utensils among other itemused for jungle survival.

In February of this year, Army troopers also seized two camps of the NPA in Balbalan.

This, as an amazon member of the NPA who was a wife of a fallen rebel leader, voluntarily surrendered to the soldiers belonging to the army’s 50th Infantry Battalion (50th IB) based in Barangay Camalog, Pinukpuk town.

Lt. Col. Gulliver Siñeres, the commander of the army’s 50th IB, said Tuesday that the surrendered NPA amazon was identified as a certain Liza Tongdo Gumabay, also known as “Raida,” 32, and the party wife of the late NPA leader, Ruben Gumabay, also known as “Rashid” of the Kilusang Larangan Guerrilla (KLG) Baggas operating in Kalinga..

“(It was) at about 12 noon of May 21, when the NPA amazon surrendered to our headquarters,” Siñeres said.

Siñeres assured their assistance to Gumabay in processing all the benefits intended for her under the Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP) of the government.

The said surrendered NPA rebel is still at 50th IB headquarters for documentation purposes.

This, as police are still searching mountains in Balbalan where New People’s Army guerillas are hiding after two clashes ensued between government forces and rebels a few days before the May 20 clash which left two soldiers wounded and death of an NPA member identified as  Rudy Miguel, with aliases of Marcial, Dek and Alay, of Squad Uno of Marcial Daggay Command of the NPA’s Kilusang Larangang Gerilya (guerilla front) “Baggas” of the Ilocos-Cordillera Regional Committee of the CPP-NPA, was killed in an encounter with soldiers belonging to the 50th Infantry Battalion in Sitio Ibong, Barangay Balbasalang, Balbalan.