A SOLDIER died in a firefight with New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Matuguinao, Samar on Sunday, the military reported yesterday.
The Army’s 8th Infantry Division (ID) said the fatality, Cpl. Bobby Barocaboc, and his fellow soldiers at the 19th Infantry Battalion were deployed to Barangay San Roque to secure the delivery of social and basic services to the geographically isolated area.
During the mission, the troops monitored around 10 communist rebels in the area, leading to a 10-minute firefight.
Capt. Jefferson Mariano, 8th ID spokesman, said troops found bloodstains on the rebels’ withdrawal route, indicating that some of them were hit during the firefight.
“Corporal Barocaboc has paid an ultimate sacrifice for the people of Eastern Visayas,” said 8th ID commander Maj. Gen. Adonis Ariel Orio.
“His death fuels us to continue what we have started. The military will never cease in pursuing the remaining insurgents for us to achieve lasting peace and progress in the community,” said Orio.
Orio urged the rebels in the province to surrender and avail themselves of government’s amnesty program. He said the rebels may coordinate with their relatives or with local chief executives for their safe passage and formalize their application for amnesty.
Meanwhile, Army soldiers seized NPA war materiel in separate operations in Southern Leyte and Samar also on Sunday.
One of the operations was conducted by troops from the 14th Infantry Battalion in Barangay Buak Datu in Sogod, Southern Leyte, leading to the recovery of an M16 rifle, a short magazine, and “subversive materials.”
The 8th ID said the successful operation was the result of “continuous dialogue and consultations conducted to the former rebels” in the area.
Also on Sunday, troops from the 801st Infantry Brigade clashed with members of the NPA’s Yakal Platoon in Barangay Calapi in Motiong, Samar.
The 8th ID said the encounter resulted in the seizure of “assorted war materiel,” medical supplies and personal belongings.
