A gun battle between the Philippine Army and an estimated 11 suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA) erupted in Bilar town at around 5:20 a.m. on Tuesday.
First Lt. Elma Grace Remonde, Civil Military Operations Officer of the PA’s 47th Infantry Battalion (IB), said the firefight was still ongoing as of 6:20 a.m.
Remonde said the clash started in the forest area of Barangay Cabacnitan but noted that the clash site is not far from the village’s highway.
“Lasang siya pero medyo duol ra na siya sa highway, kay highway man gud mismo ang barangay…duol sa Bonifacio ug Bugang Sur,” she said.
According to Remonde, personnel of the 47th IB’s Alpha Company assigned at the PA Special Forces Riverine School were conducting patrols in Barangay Cabacnitan when they encountered the armed men who were likely to be communist guerillas.
“Among tan-aw ana mga membro g’yud na sila sa New People’s Army diri sa Bohol,” she said.
Meanwhile, two other companies under the 47th IB have been deployed to secure areas where the rebels are likely to flee.
The PA has yet to get reports from the field to confirm if there have been casualties on both sides.
She said they have been having difficulty with communications due to the weak signal in the area. (R. Tutas)