3 rebels killed in Camarines Sur

MANILA, Philippines - Three communist rebels were killed Sunday evening in an encounter with Army troops in Bula, Camarines Sur, the military said yesterday. 

Lt. Col. Ernesto Cruz, commander of the 42nd Infantry Battalion, said he deployed a squad of soldiers in Lubgan village of Bula town after a resident informed them about the presence of the insurgents in the area.

“My informant texted me that six bandits were forcibly collecting food provisions from them. I promptly sent a squad of my soldiers to apprehend the rebels,” Cruz said in a statement.

The rebels then fired at the approaching troops, resulting in an encounter that lasted for around 10 minutes. Cruz said the rebels eventually withdrew and brought with them their wounded comrades.

After the firefight, soldiers found the bodies of three unidentified rebels and four high-powered firearms. Recovered from the area were two M653 rifles, an M116A1 rifle and a sub-machine gun.

Cruz said a soldier identified as Pfc. Marciano Alguera, was wounded in the abdomen during the clash. He was rushed to the 9th Infantry Division (ID) hospital for treatment.

Maj. Gen. Ruperto Pabustan, commander of the 9th ID, which supervises the 42nd IB, said civilians play important roles in their anti-insurgency drive.

“The sustained efforts of the civilians who helped us locate the rebels are appreciated. This is an indication that they are indeed fed up by the extortion activities of the NPA,” he said.

Pabustan also urged the insurgents to surrender and to avail of the government’s Social Integration Program, which seeks to provide livelihood and assistance to rebel returnees.

The military has said that the Bicol region is one of the remaining areas with large concentration of communist rebels. The other areas that are heavily influenced by the NPA are Samar and Negros in the Visayas and Davao and Compostela Valley in Mindanao.

The Arroyo administration sought to defeat the decades-old insurgency by June 30 but failed.

The military, however, said it has significantly weakened the influence of the insurgents in the countryside. Military officials claimed that the strength of the NPA has declined to 4,742 in the first quarter of 2010 from a peak of 25,200 in 1987.

– With Michelle Zoleta,