2 NPA rebs slain in Mt Province clash

 RECOVERED. Items belonging to New People’s Army (NPA) rebels were recovered by Army troops after a clash in Barangay Mainit, Bontoc, Mountain Province on Tuesday (Sept. 28, 2021). The firefight led to the death of two communist insurgents. Photo courtesy of 5th Infantry Division

By Vince Jacob Visaya

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- Two New People's Army (NPA) rebels were killed in a 30-minute gunfight with the 54th Infantry Battalion here in Barangay Mainit, on Tuesday, the military said.
    The communist rebels were identified by relatives and soldiers as Ernesto Lucaben Jr. alias Ka Ashley/Lando and Wilfredo Gaayon alias Ka Jaz, both belonging to the NPA's Komiteng Larangang Gerilya-Abra-Mount Province-Ilocos Sur, according to Maj. Jekyll Julian Dulawan, Fifth Infantry Division (5th ID) spokesperson.
    Soldiers seized an M14 Armalite rifle, five magazines of M14 rifle loaded with 70 rounds of bullets, three magazines of AK79 rifle with 20 rounds of bullets, nine anti-personnel mines, two rifle grenades, two hand grenades, two blasting caps, wires, medicines and other personal belongings that were left by the rebels when they fled the encounter area.
    No casualty was reported on the government's side.
    Dulawan said the soldiers acted to verify the information tipped off by local residents about the presence of 10 suspected communist rebels, who fired upon them when they went to the site where a 30-minute firefight ensued.
    Villages in Bontoc, Mountain Province have declared the communist rebels as persona non grata in their communities, Dulawan added.
    "Barangay Mainit, is not a place for you to hide. The people are giving us information about your presence in their community," Maj. Gen. Laurence Mina, 5th ID commander, said.
    "We wish to see you start a new life. And so, I am appealing to the remaining members of the NPA to return to the folds of the law and avail the assistance of the government under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program," he added.