LEGAZPI CITY: An officer of the New People's Army (NPA) was killed while a high-powered firearm was seized in a clash between government troops and rebels in Barangay Biriran, Juban town in Sorsogon province on Tuesday, the 9th Infantry Division (9ID) said Wednesday. In a report, Maj. Frank Roldan, 9ID Public Affairs Office chief, identified the rebel as Jose Arnel Estiller, alias Mando/Arnel/Ariston, secretary of the NPA's Sub-Regional Committee 3, Bicol Regional Party Committee, covering Sorsogon. "Our troops encountered NPA members during a 30-minute firefight that resulted in the death of alias Mando," he said. Soldiers also recovered an M653 rifle, ammunition, and other personal items at the site. "Right now, a hot pursuit operation is still ongoing in the area and nearby barangays for other members who withdrew," he added. Roldan said no injuries or deaths were reported on the government's side or among the residents of the area. He called on the remaining members of the NPA in the area to surrend er and return to the fold of the law. "This will provide them with an opportunity to have a better life. The remaining NPA (rebels) no longer have a safe haven due to increasing reports of their whereabouts to the authorities," Roldan said. Source: Philippines News Agency