A NEW People’s Army (NPA) political instructor was killed in a firefight with government troops in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental last Tuesday, the military reported.
The Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (ID) named the slain NPA leader as Orlando Fat, alias Banham, a political instructor of Section Guerrilla Unit 3 of the NPA’s Central Negros 1.
Lt. Col. Magno Mapalad of the 3rd ID said troops from the 62nd Infantry Battalion clashed with five rebels in Sitio Banderahan, Barangay Trinidad while conducting a security operation.
Mapalad said the soldiers conducted the operation after receiving complaints from residents about NPA extortion activities in their community.
Mapalad said the firefight lasted for five minutes, after which the rebels withdrew, leaving the body of Fat.
Soldiers found at the encounter site a cal. 45 pistol, magazines, ammunition, a magazine pouch, gun holster, a sling bag, and a backpack containing NPA documents and personal belongings.
This was the second encounter between soldiers and rebels in Negros Island this year. The first occurred last Monday in Himamaylan City that left a rebel dead.
“The NPAs in Negros have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide,” said 3rd ID commander Maj. Gen. Benedict Arevalo.
