Troops kill extorting NPA rebels - Army

MANILA, Philippines - Two communist rebels involved in extortion activities were killed in an encounter with soldiers in Oas, Albay on Monday.

Members of the Army’s 2nd battalion were conducting patrols when they encountered about six insurgents in Barangay Badbad in Oas town at about 6:45 p.m.

The five-minute firefight resulted in the death of two members of the New People’s Army (NPA) who were only identified by their aliases Dennis and Peter. There were no reported casualties on the side of government troops.

Soldiers recovered two M16 rifles, bandoleers and personal belongings from the encounter site. The rebels were seen retreating towards barangays Mayag and Matara, both in Oas town.

"We want to settle [the conflict] in a peaceful manner. However, the Army is mandated to safeguard the peace and protect the people from internal threat groups,” said Col. Raul Farnacio, commander of the Army;s 901st brigade.

“We are reaching out to them to abandon the armed struggle and return to the mainstream of society and live a normal life,” he added.

Albay is located in the Bicol region, one of the areas with huge concentration of NPA fighters.

The military pegs the strength of the communist movement at about 4,000 as of the first half, virtually unchanged in the last three years due to the NPA’s recruitment efforts.