Text messages lead to clash with rebels

BAGUIO CITY - Text messages sent by civilians to police authorities led to Thursday’s clash between government troopers and New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas in Pampanga, which left five rebels dead, reports reaching this city said.

Maj. Gen. Romeo Dominguez, chief of the Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom), identified four of the casualties as Ka Dexter, Ka Philip, Ka Annie and Raquel Arias or Ka Raquel.

The leader of the rebel group, identified only as Ka Dario, was reportedly wounded in the firefight but managed to escape.

Dominguez said residents of Barangay San Agustin in Sta. Ana town tipped off authorities, via text messages, of the presence of 15 armed people allegedly "undertaking extortion, foraging and indiscriminate recruitment of new members."

Combined elements of the 69th Infantry Battalion, 46th Military Intelligence Company and the provincial police were dispatched to the area and engaged the rebels in a firefight.

Recovered from the scene were seven M-16 assault rifles and an M-14 sniper rifle. – With Benjie Villa and James Mananghaya