BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – Camp Gerona has confirmed the death of two soldiers and the wounding of six others in the latest clash today, the fourth so far in three days, in the upland village of Carabalan.
This came as the 303rd Brigade, the Army command based in Murcia town, released details of the armed skirmishes between rebels and soldiers in the upland village of Carabalan in Himamaylan City as Army officials thanked residents for tipping off soldiers about the “extortion activities” of the rebels whose plans were foiled by government troops.
The fatality count, the first since Thursday when firefights broke out, was confirmed by Camp Gerona local spox Capt. Mervin Rosal in a graphic card release to local press that contained the text: “Heroes fall in 4th encounter with NPA terrorists in Himamaylan City.”
It added: “two heroes from the 94IB offered the ultimate sacrifice and six others were wounded during the encounter that sought to make Himamaylan City a safe place.”
The two dead were among the eight wounded troopers of the 94th Battalion that had been engaging the rebels since Thursday, 6 October 2022.
The two fatalities reportedly died before arriving at the. private Riverside Medical Center here.
The latest release from Rosal just before this article goes to press, said the latest clash today was around 8:50am in Cunalom, a neighboring sitio of Sig-ang where the firefights started.
The release added:
“Troops of 94IB conducting pursuit operation on the fleeing NPA Terrorists were able to track the fleeing NPA Terrorists that resulted in a fire fight in Sitio Cunalom, Brgy Carabalan, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental. While the troops were manuevering to assault the identified enemy position, they were hit by enemy fires, close air support was employed to suppress the enemy fire and extricate the wounded troops. Successive delivery of close air support forced the enemy to withdraw in different directions. While scouring the encounter site, troops were able to trace bloodstains in the area. Pursuit operations are still ongoing.”
“We assure everyone that we will not put our guards down and allow these terrorists to sow fear in your community. We will pursue the NPA terrorists to eradicate them in Negros Island,” Brigadier General Innocencio Pasaporte was quoted as saying in the news release sent the press by civil military officer, Captain Mervin Rosal.
The release, issued today, 8 October 2022, said the first clash was in Sig-ang, an upland community of Carabalan around 6am of 6 October 2022 when an estimated 20 guerrillas of the Communist New People’s Army fired on soldiers of the 94th Battalion commanded by Lt. Col. Van Donald Almonte, triggering a gunbattle that lasted for about an hour.
Pasaporte also appealed to the residents from returning to the encounter sites for their safety until the area is completely cleared from the presence of NPA terrorists.
