Army, NPAs clash anew in Calinog town
A firefight erupted anew between members of the Philippine Army and the New People’s Army (NPA) Sunday afternoon at the hinterland barangay of Ipil in Calinog town, Iloilo.
No one was killed or injured among members of the Scout Platoon of the 47IB Headquarters Company led by 47th IB executive officer Lt. Col. Evan Bermudo.
While there were no bodies recovered on the encounter site, 47IB commanding officer Col. Tyne Bañas believed that the rebels could have incurred casualty or wounded because of the bloodstains found on the rebels’ escape path.
Bañas claimed that the encounter came after they received information from residents of the presence of some 15 – 20 rebels at the boundary of barangays Banban and Ipil in Calinog.
When 47IB soldiers responded to the area, they immediately crossed path with the rebels.
At around 6:00 p.m., or an hour after the burst of first gun fires, the rebels withdrew to still a undisclosed direction leaving their two backpacks containing personal belongings.
They also failed to cart anti-personnel claymore mine, a kind of improvised explosive device, and components for the manufacture of IEDs.
Bañas believed that the rebels are from the Coronacion “Chiva” Waling-Waling Command of the NPA’s Central Front Committee under Francisco Balois alias “Tonying.”
“Ang intention gid nila sini ma recover and Calinog and Lambunao areas because for the last 19 months, they have not recovered the Lambunao area. In fact, they also lost control over the Tapaz area (in Capiz province),” Bañas added.
After the actual firefight, 47IB personnel and members of the Iloilo Provincial Public Safety Management Company cordoned the area.
Continued operations are still being conducted against the rebels as Bañas called for residents and even the rebels to surrender their wounded comrades, if any, “so that proper medical attention could be given to the injured.”
On top of that, the 47IB commander appealed to the rebels to take the path towards a lasting peace, especially in the Central Panay area.
