Guihulngan City: A suspected member of the New People's Army (NPA) was killed in an armed clash with government troops in Barangay Humay-humay, Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental, prompting dozens of families to flee their homes.

According to Philippines News Agency, Lt. Col. Evelio Ilanga, commander of the Army's 62nd Infantry Battalion, reported that the encounter took place around 12:10 p.m. in Sitio Tubigan and resulted in the death of Tony Pahayay, also known by the aliases "Aldren" and "Redol." Pahayay, a resident of Barangay Bulado, was believed to be part of Squad 2, Sentro de Gravidad, under the dismantled Central Negros 1 guerrilla front.

Ilanga stated that former rebels and community informants helped confirm the identity of Pahayay, whose body was discovered holding an Armalite rifle and wearing a black shirt bearing the NPA's emblem. It is believed that Pahayay had likely separated from a larger group of about nine armed men who engaged troops in two earlier skirmishes on Thursday morning.

During the operation, soldiers recovered an M4 rifle, an M16 rifle, ammunition, cooking utensils, personal belongings, and alleged subversive documents from the encounter sites. Pahayay's body was taken to a funeral home in Guihulngan City for a post-mortem examination, with no relatives having come forward to claim his remains as of the latest reports.

Meanwhile, 52 families, or 209 individuals, have evacuated their homes due to the clashes. These families are currently staying in four evacuation centers located in the villages of Calamba, Tacpao, Bulado, and Humay-humay. The local government has begun distributing food and basic necessities to the displaced families, while the Army continues to assess the security situation before allowing residents to return home.