CAMP GERONA, MURCIA, NEGROS OCCIDENTAL – After receiving reports of NPA extortion in the area, troops of 15th Infantry Battalion, while conducting combat operations encountered more or less 9 fully armed terrorist NPAs in Sitio Bunga, Brgy Salong, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental at about 5:00 PM, March 12, 2019 (Tuesday).
The troops engaged the NPAs in an intermittent firefight that lasted for 5 minutes, afterwhich the NPAs scampered to different directions.
While in hot pursuit and clearing the area, an NPA member identified as Arnel Sairot a.k.a July, 21 yrs old and a resident of Escalante, Negros Occidental was captured and recovered the following firearms; 1 9mm pistol; 1 improvised shotgun; 1 hand grenade; 1 ICOM radio; 2 hammocks; 2 cellphones; NPA extortion letters for construction companies; 1 NPA training Certificate of Completion; materials for the fabrication of improvised firearms and other subversive documents.
There was no casualty on the government side and it is still undetermined casualty on the NPA side.
“This only proves that the CPP-NPA-NDF is an extortionist terrorist organization. The regular NPAs are only being used to do the difficult and dirty works in the countryside while their leaders and political officers are enjoying the fruits of their extortion activities living luxuriously and comfortably in the cities.
That’s why I am calling for the NPAs to rethink of their actual situation and surrender in groups so that they may be able to live normal lives again. The NPAs are just being manipulated by the CPP-NDF “, Colonel Benedict Arevalo, 303rd Infantry Brigade Commander said.
| 303rd Brigade PA Press Release
