DUMAGUETE CITY—A brief exchange of gunfire erupted on Tuesday between policemen and the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) rebels in Barangay Trinidad, Guihulngan City in Negros Oriental amid pursuit operations by the 62nd Infantry Battalion (62IB) of the Philippine Army since the weekend.
Lt. Col. Romeo Cubo, Guihulngan police chief, told the Philippine News Agency that police officers of the Provincial Mobile Force Company (PMFC) were about to have lunch at their post when they were suddenly fired upon from a distance by unidentified armed men believed to be NPA rebels.
Police also reported that the shooting incident occurred at 12:20 p.m. in Barangay Trinidad after the alleged NPA members allegedly harassed and opened fire on PMFC members.
“Around 12:30 p.m. today, a PMFC personnel answered the call of nature when gunshots rang out, about ten rounds, and so immediately our troops returned fire to defend themselves,” Cubo said in mixed English and Cebuano.
The police is on high alert in the area following the recent encounters between the 62nd Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army and the NPA in Guihulngan City over the last five days, the police chief said.
The exchange of gunfire lasted briefly, Cubo said, and no one was reported hurt in the incident.
Contrary to social media posts, the police chief also said they have not received any reports of residents evacuating to safer ground.
This is the latest skirmish between the NPA and government security forces since Oct. 29 in several parts of Guihulngan City.
The first encounter took place in Barangay Planas on Saturday afternoon and was followed by another one about six hours later in Barangay Buenavista between the 62IB troops and more or less 20 NPA members of the Central Negros 1, Komiteng Rehiyon-Negros, Cebu, Bohol, and Siquijor (KR-NCBS).
The bodies of two NPA casualties were recovered near the second encounter site in Sitio Ilihan, Barangay Buenavista in the days that followed, along with a couple of firearms, a hand grenade, personal belongings, and subversive documents.
On Monday evening, relentless pursuit operations for the same group led to another encounter, this time in Barangay Magsaysay, said Lt. Col. William Pesase, commanding officer of the 62IB.
He said the skirmish with the police was a “diversionary tactic” of the rebels as “we continue with our efforts to track them down”.
“The fleeing rebels are now exhausted and hungry following the successive encounters these past days,” he said.
Pesase called on the people of Guihulngan to stay calm, reassuring them of their safety while saying that their counter-insurgency operations are in secluded areas with no inhabitants.
He called on the people to continue with their normal lives while remaining vigilant against the CPP-NPA’s harassment, deception, and extortion activities.