Five New People’s Army rebels were killed in a series of clashes with government troops in the hinterlands of Cauayan, Negros Occidental, the military said.
The Army’s 15th Infantry Battalion, known as the “Molave Warriors,” under the 302nd Infantry “Achiever” Brigade, encountered remnants of the South-West Front, Komiteng-Rehiyon Negros in Barangay Abaca and Barangay Poblacion.
After overrunning the encounter site, soldiers recovered several high-powered firearms, including an M60 machine gun, M16 rifles, an M14 rifle, an M203 grenade launcher, a hand grenade, and other war materiel.
The military said residents in Cauayan have increasingly cooperated with authorities by providing information on the presence and movement of armed communist remnants hiding in remote communities.
“The continued collapse of communist terrorist formations in Negros reflects the growing rejection of violent armed struggle by communities once exploited through intimidation, extortion, deception, and fear,” Brig. Gen. Jason Jumawan, commander of the 302nd Brigade, said.
Jumawan said the latest encounter further exposed the deteriorating condition of the dismantled South-West Front, whose remaining members continue to suffer heavy losses, declining manpower, and weakening support from residents.
He said military operations in Negros remain focused on protecting civilians and preventing remnants of the communist movement from re-establishing influence in vulnerable communities.
Jumawan also renewed the government’s call for remaining rebels to lay down their arms and avail themselves of reintegration programs before more lives are lost.
“It’s unfortunate that many lives were lost, but the troops had to defend the community who are victims of the Communist Terrorist Group’s (CTG’s) senseless killings by “spy-tagging” innocent civilians,” Jumawan said.