BACOLOD CITY, Philippines – An Army soldier was killed while his two colleagues were wounded in an encounter with suspected New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas in Escalante City, Negros Occidental on Saturday.
The encounter, which occurred at around 6 a.m. in Barangay Mabini, resulted in the death of Sgt. Isidro Padilla. Cpl. Julius Baquil and Pfc. Genesis Castillo were wounded in the firefight.
Reports from the Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade said the soldiers of the 62nd Infantry Battalion (IB) were pursuing a group of rebels tagged in the recent killing of two farmers in nearby Sagay City.
Lt. Col. Arnel Cabugon, chief of the 62nd IB, said the group was behind the burning of the farmers’ bunkhouses in Barangay Gen. Luna, Sagay City on May 22. He said two agrarian reform beneficiaries were killed in that incident.