AFP troops capture 2 NPA camps in ComVal province

CAMP APOLINARIO, Davao City, March 7 (PNA) -– Two camps of the New People’s Army (NPA) were overrun Friday by Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) troops after more than two hours of fighting against an estimated 70 heavily-armed communist terrorists at Sitio Panon, Barangay Baylo, Monkayo town, Compostela Valley (ComVal) province.

A report received at the Davao Gulf-based AFP Eastern Mindanao Command (EasMinCom) said a government soldier was killed while two others were wounded during the firefight.

The report identified the Army man killed in action as Pfc. Benzon Balandan while those wounded were Pfc. John Patrick Madariaga and Pfc. Jaypee Baricaua.

Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, chief of EastMincom, ordered the deployment of more combat troops in the area for a wide operation against the fleeing communists.

The captured NPA camps can accommodate 50 and 70 persons, respectively, and reportedly belonged to the Front Committee 20 of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA Southern Mindanao Regional Command (SMRC) allegedly under Alex Rosete, alias “Commander Alex.”

Initial reports coming from the Army’s 10th Infantry (Agila) Division under Maj. Gen. Carlos Holganza stated that the troops of the 25th Infantry Battalion engaged the rebels in a firefight at 6 a.m. until the two camps were finally captured at past 8 a.m.

The rebels abandoned their camps and retreated to nearby forested and mountainous border of Agusan del Sur in Caraga region, dragging along with them their unaccounted number of killed or wounded, the reports said.

The discovery of the two camps came after soldiers reacted to reports from civilians that there were armed men in the area.

Operating troops recovered inside the camp several claymore, anti-tank and anti-personnel mines, detonating cords, blasting caps, assorted live bullets, back packs containing personal belongings, several anti-government documents and other war paraphernalia.

As this developed, the EastMincom deployed helicopter gunships from the Philippine Air Force’s (PAF) strike wing and helicopter wing to extend air cover to the pursuing ground troops.

Gen. Holganza expressed grief over the death of the soldier, but said the sacrifice of the troops made the people a lot safer from terrorism.

“Our soldiers’ sacrifices were not in vain as their efforts have made the people of Compostela Valley and the whole of Davao region a lot safer with the recovery of these improvised explosive devices (IEDs) which might endanger the lives of our citizens,” Holganza said. (PNA)
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