5 rebels slain, 2 civilians hurt in Batangas clash

CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna, Philippines  – Five suspected New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas were killed while two civilians were wounded in an encounter with government troops in Nasugbu, Batangas on Wednesday afternoon.

The names of the fatalities were not immediately available, but reports said they were NPA rebels operating in Batangas and nearby towns in Quezon, according to Maj. Francisco Mangubat, chief of the 730th Combat Group of the Philippine Air Force.

The wounded civilians – identified as Edwin Coronel, 50, and a 14-year-old boy – were rushed to the Apacible Memorial Hospital in Nasugbu for treatment.

Mangubat said the troops were checking reports about the presence of a group of armed men in Barangay Mataas na Pulo when they encountered the rebels at around 1:15 p.m.

He said the firefight lasted 15 minutes. The troops recovered two M14 and an M16 rifles, and a carbine.

Lt. Gen. Ricardo Visaya, chief of the Southern Luzon Command, said that three weeks ago they received reports that some members of the NPA’s main regional guerrilla unit operating in Mindoro had moved to Batangas.