7 Reds killed in another Masbate clash
LEGAZPI CITY—Security forces killed seven alleged members of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) in Uson, Masbate, the military said on Sunday.
Maj. Frank Roldan, spokesperson of the Philippine Army’s 9th Infantry Division, said in a report that elements of the Army’s 2nd Infantry Battalion had a 30-minute battle with the NPA rebels in Barangay San Mateo of Uson town at around 6 a.m. Sunday.
Roldan said the clash was part of a pursuit operation after troops killed two communist rebels in an encounter in Masbate last week. Security forces caught up with the fleeing insurgents early Sunday in Uson, where the seven were slain in a 30-minute battle.
No one was hurt on the government’s side, and they recovered M16 rifles, two M203 grenade launchers, one M14 rifle, one M653 rifle, one Bushmaster rifle, personal belongings and documents at the encounter site, the report said.
The military had not identified the slain fighters at press time, but Roldan said they were part of the NPA’s regional party committee in Bicol, which only has about 50 armed guerrillas in the island province, which remains one of the top 10 poorest provinces in the country.
“We’re in the final push,” the Associated Press quoted Roldan as saying in a telephone conversation, echoing the estimate of Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. last week that the NPA has less than 900 rebels remaining.
The Masbate battle was the latest in a series that included an encounter in Kabankalan City in Negros Occidental, where seven guerrillas were slain on April 27.
The Army’s Third Infantry Division launched the Kabankalan operation after it learned that some guerrillas returned to Negros Occidental after the military declared the island province to have been cleared of communist rebels.
“This operation should serve as a wake-up call to those who still choose to support or join the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA (CPP-NPA),” said division commander, Maj. Gen. Michael Samson.
“The door to peace remains open, surrender while you still have the chance,” Samson said at that time, referring to the government’s amnesty program.
The government announced the amnesty program after growing rejection of peace talks that were exploited by guerrillas to strengthen their numbers.
The government last pursued peace talks with CPP-NPA leaders Benito and Wilma Tiamzon, but the couple only returned to armed rebellion when they were released from prison for the peace talks. The couple were killed in an encounter with government troops in August 2022.
In December of that year, CPP founder Jose Maria Sison also died in exile in the Netherlands.
The government now considers the CPP-NPA as a spent force with its membership dwindling to its lowest levels in decades.
