Military finds NPA camp in N. Samar

TACLOBAN CITY , Philippines  — The Philippine Army's campaign against insurgency in Eastern Visayas got a fresh boost yesterday morning when troops of the 20th Infantry Battalion discovered another encampment of the communist rebels at the border of Brgy. McKinley in Catarman, the captial town of Northern Samar.

Lieutenant Jonathan Sarausas, in his report, said his men were conducting assessment of the flooding in the area when a barangay resident approached them and revealed that an enemy encampment was located a few meters from their location.

The resident volunteered to guide them and Sarausas decided to go to the site where they found an abandoned NPA camp, which could accommodate about 50 rebels, with four bunkers, one bleacher, two guard posts, three comfort rooms and a kitchen.

The soldiers surmised that the camp may have been abandoned for about three days, as they also found a number of documents that they assessed to be subversive with high intelligence value.

At about noon, after clearing the area, the troops of Sarausas encountered about 30 rebels who were believed to be the occupants of the encampment. A gunfight ensued and later the rebels withdrew with no one from both sides reported to have been hurt. The soldiers however recovered an M16 rifle left behind by the fleeing terrorists.

Major Gen. Mario Chan, commander of the 8th Infantry Division, said the successful operation of the 20th IB was another boost to the government's quest for peace and development in the region against communists' rebellion. "With the people giving the information on the NPA activities, the government troops can immediately act on it thereby preempting any hostile and terroristic activities that will endanger the lives of the people", he said.