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| Firearms, ammunition, and assorted provisions are among the items seized by government troops during several skirmishes with the communist New People's Army on August 13 and 14, 2020 in Sitio Mangilet, Barangay Bal-ason in Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental. Brig. General Maurito Licudine, commander of the Army's 402nd Infantry Brigade, has ordered a manhunt operation against the fleeing rebels. (Photo from: 402Bde) |
[아시아뉴스통신=페이 기자] The chief of the Army's 402nd Infantry Brigade (402Bde) has ordered ground troops to pursue the remaining fighters of the New People's Army (NPA) in the hinterlands of Misamis Oriental and Agusan del Norte provinces. Brig. General Maurito Licudine issued the order on Sunday after the 58th Infantry Battalion (58IB) engaged the rebels in skirmishes on August 13 and 14 in Sitio Mangilet, Barangay Bal-ason in Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental.
“An order was already sent to the engaged troops to scour the vicinity of the encounter site and pursue without letup the escaping CNTs (Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA Terrorists). We will not give any chance for these terrorists to regroup and harass the residents in Barangay Bal-ason and the surrounding areas. We want these NPA terrorists pushed hard until they give up their arms and surrender to the government,” Licudine said in a statement Monday. Licudine believes that after figuring in successive clashes with government troops, the rebels "are now in distress, hungry and tired."
The 58IB troopers based in the area, he said, have the advantage to "track down, pursue and neutralize the fleeing NPA rebels". Licudine said the two-day skirmishes in the hinterlands of Gingoog bordering Agusan del Norte ensued after villagers reported the presence of the NPA rebels who were allegedly planning to conduct "harassments and extortion activities."
Government troops, he said, engaged some 20 guerillas believed to be members of the NPA's Guerrilla Front 4B in several skirmishes. In one of the firefights, Licudine said the fleeing rebels abandoned a dead comrade later identified as Brenda Serenio, 24, a resident of Lagonglong town, Misamis Oriental. Licudine also called on the rebels to cease harassing communities and allow the government to send needed relief goods and services to poor residents who are affected by the COVID-19 crisis.
