2 NPA rebels killed, 3 soldiers hurt in clashes

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Two communist guerrillas were killed while four were wounded in separate clashes in Davao del Sur and Zamboanga del Sur last Saturday, the military said.

Among those wounded in the clash in the town of Cateel were three government soldiers and a New People’s Army (NPA) guerrilla, Col. Fredesvindo Cova—rrubias, spokesman of the military’s Southern Command, said.

At least five other NPA rebels were captured in the clash in Barangay Aliwagwag, he said.

"Guerrillas attacked patrolling soldiers in the village of Aliwawag, touching off a running gunbattle that lasted several hours," he said.

Belated reports reaching the military headquarters here said an encounter also occurred late Thursday in a remote village in Postigo, Zamboanga del Sur, in which two NPA rebels were killed.

Covarrubias said there has been a marked increase in NPA activity in Mindanao, where they have been terrorizing villagers into paying illegal taxes.

The NPA celebrated its 32nd anniversary last week with a vow to intensify offensives against the government, even though its leaders are set to resume peace talks with the government later this month.

The NPA is the 11,000-strong armed unit of the underground Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), which has won a commitment from the Arroyo administration to hold talks in a Scandinavian country.

Both the government and the NPA earlier agreed to a limited truce in Southern Tagalog to allow for the safe release of Army Maj. Noel Buan held captive since 1999, ahead of the peace talks.

Sen. Loren Legarda, a member of a humanitarian panel working for the release of Buan, said the captive could be released by April 8.

Legarda, who has been meeting with communist leaders and the government peace panel, also called on both sides to refrain from offensives to finally secure the release of the Army intelligence officer. — Edith Regalado, Roel Pareño