Three alleged NPAs killed in encounter with military in Occidental Mindoro

May 23, 2019

Government troops killed three alleged New People's Army (NPA) members after an encounter in Occidental Mindoro on Wednesday.

Capt. Patrick Jay Retumban, spokesman of the 2nd Infantry Division, said the rebels' temporary encampment was taken over by joint military and police forces after an encounter at Sitio Pusog, Barangay Ligaya, Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro around 9:41 pm.

Retumban said no one was hurt on the government side while three rebels were reported killed.

"An information reaching headquarters today that three NPAs were killed in yesterday's encounter based from the information reported by the civilians in the area is being validated by the intelligence community," he said.

Retumban said, according to Lieutenant Colonel Mario Lito Retirva, 76th Infantry Battalion commander, the encounter happened after a combat operation was launched in response to reported presence of rebels.

"Our troops, together with the PNP ( Philippine National Police) Regional Mobile Force immediately launched a combat operations after a tipped from a concerned citizen that more or less 20 NPAs were extorting food and money in their community," Retirva said.

“While searching the area, our forces discovered first their abandoned temporary encampment around 8:40 am. The troops pursued their tracking’s and overtook the enemies in another encampment where firefight broke for five minutes”, he added.

Retumban said troops recovered "one M16 rifle, three bandoleers, two cellular phones, four backpacks, one set camouflage uniform, five improvised explosive devices (IEDs), electrical wires, medical paraphernalia, food stuffs, personal belongings and voluminous enemy documents with high intelligence value" from the seized camp.

He said following the clash "Police Brigadier General Thomas Apolinario Jr., Mimaropa regional director instructed the local PNP to conduct intensified checkpoints to apprehend fleeing enemies and give medical attention to their wounded."

Retumban said troops are conducting hot pursuit operations with the K9 tracking dogs and Air Force assets to support ground troops. Robina Asido/DMS