BEN SERRANO
Contributing editor
BUTUAN CITY- At least two soldiers were confirmed to be wounded and lots of bloodstains were found along New People’s Army rebels’ escape route after an hour of fresh encounter in Sitio Pirada, Barangay Del Pilar, Cabadbaran City shortly after President Arroyo took off from Bancasi Airport here in Butuan City almost noon Wednesday (January 28), police and military reports said.
President Arroyo was in Veruela, Agusan del Sur Wednesday morning for a brief, moiré than thirty minutes visit to personally inspect the extent of damages in the area brought about by flooding.
The Philippine Army’s fourth infantry division based in Cagayan de Oro City claimed in their reports that an undetermined number of communist insurgents were believed killed or wounded when a fierce gunbattle erupted Wednesday between combat maneuvering troops of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the communist New People’s Army.
But New People’s Army spokesperson Maria Malaya claimed the military reports were exaggerated.
She didn’t however elaborate further as in her past pronouncements about the government reports were all lies and mere propaganda allegedly meant to duped the public.
But a third force, two retired top rank but discontented Philippine military officials claimed the root cause of the decades old communist insurgency problem in the country was all for money, money and money not really ideology as what the New People’s Army are espousing.
“Surrendered firearms are paid by government from taxpayers’ hard-earned money and recycled over and over again making a business but illegal loggers and miners including mining companies are supplying the rebels with guns and ammunitions as bribe and protection money to prevent their illicit operations in the mountains”, a retired army colonel who lead a local uprising against government due to alleged corruption in 1995 but requested anonymity told this writer.
“It was all a huge comedy drama from both sides with satiric twist’ the retired army colonel added.
Meanwhile, Philippine Army’s 4th ID spokesman Maj. Michele B. Anayron, Jr. claimed gun battle lasted for almost one hour until the rebels hastily ran away at nearby mountain area
Military’s initial report claimed one section of Charlie Company led by certain 2nd Lt. Ausente of the 30th Infantry Battallion while on security and combat operation encountered an undetermined number of heavily armed rebels wearing black fatigue uniform in Pirada area.
The area was former gold rush site and presently the site of many small-scale copper mining operations.
The communist rebels were believed to be regular fighters of Regional Operations Company (ROC) of the CPP-NPA Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NMRC).
Fourth Infantry (Diamond) Division commanding general Maj. Gen. Ricardo A. David, Jr. ordered Col. Emiliano Gupana, commanding officer of the Army’s 402nd Infantry (Stingers) Brigade, the deployment of more combat maneuvering troops in Pirada to beef up the government forces there.
Gen. David also ordered the deployment of war earth-moving equipment in the area.
Initial report received by Gen. David claimed combat troops in Pirada gunbattle already seized some war materials from the rebels and lots of documents with high intelligence value.
Meanwhile, Carmen, Agusan del Norte Police Chief P/Insp. Dionisio Pingos was temporarily relieved from his post after the January 23 lightning raid of Carmen Municipal Police Office that killed SPO4 Arsenio Aboc.
It can be recalled that early dawn of January 23, some 50 New People’s Army young fighters raided the Carmen Municipal Police Office and carted away three .9mm cal pistols from three policemen manning the stations at the time of the attack.
Temporarily replacing Pingos while the investigation was on-going was P/Chief Insp. Dexter Herrera
The Carmen Municipal Police Office attack was the tenth in Caraga Region, four of which was last year’s lightning raid which caught authorities empty handed.