Negros Occidental joined the mourning for two soldiers of the Philippine Army’s 94th Infantry Battalion (IB) killed in encounters with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) rebels in Himamaylan City over the weekend.
On Saturday afternoon, the 94IB and its supervising unit, the 303rd Infantry Brigade (IBde), confirmed the two deaths and the wounding of six others.
The identities of the casualties were unavailable as of posting time.
“The province mourns the loss of our two soldiers who were killed during the encounter in Barangay Carabalan yesterday (Saturday) morning,” Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said in a statement on Sunday.
Lacson said the fallen soldiers displayed “the highest form of bravery, sacrifice, and patriotism”.
“This we must always honor and must never forget. They lost their lives in action, in the pursuit of peace for the province, and for the security of the people of Himamaylan and Negros Occidental,” he added.
Between Thursday morning and Saturday afternoon, four clashes took place in the remote village, resulting in the evacuation of hundreds of families from Carabalan, Cabadiangan, and adjacent villages in Binalbagan town.
In another statement on Sunday, Brig. Gen. Inocencio Pasaporte, 303IBde chief, said the series of encounters prevented the CPP-NPA communist-terrorists from executing their plans to intimidate and extort from indigent communities in the hinterlands of Himamaylan.
“We are confident that the Himamaylanons will work hand-in-hand with the government to attain peace and development in their area,” he added.
In Sitio Sig-ang on Friday, the Army troops recovered from the encounter site a caliber .45 pistol with two magazines, nine rounds of ammunition, a hammock, and a backpack, food stuff, and other personal items.
Source: Philippines News Agency
