2 NPAs dead in Igbaras encounter
Two communist rebels, one a fully-armed amazon of the New People's Army (NPA) were reportedly killed in a military encounter in Southern Iloilo early yesterday morning.
The incident occurred at Sitio Igpulo of Barangay Igcabugao, Igbaras, Iloilo. This, following a government operation conducted by some seven Army soldiers belonging to the Alpha Company of 78th Infantry Batallion of the 3rd Infantry Division.
The Army soldiers were in the area, a hinterland village of Igbaras in response to earlier calls for help of the locals.
In a news statement, Captain Lowen Gil Marquez of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) here said villagers have long been subjected to massive extortion. The extortionists, the AFP report said, were the usual suspects in the area -- NPAs, armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
And because of such, Captain Marquez added, a chance military encounter occurred about 6am.
"The massive extortion from the masses is about P5 every week, P100 per head of family per month, 120 pieces of corn every cropping and all these make the people suffer," he revealed. "The terrorist extortionist CPP/NPA led by Concha Araneta, Elver Buencuchillo aka Jess and Nahum Camariosa aka Bebong initiated the said extortion. There were around seven soldiers from Alpha Company versus twenty terrorist CPP/NPA."
Government recoveries included the two "enemy body count" of the unidentified NPAs, two M16 armalite rifles, two bandolier, nine backpacks and a sack of palay and basket of eggs believed to be the NPAs loot from the day's extortion rounds.