TABUK, Kalinga – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) suffered three more casualties as two soldiers died and one was injured in an encounter with members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in a town in Kalinga province on Tuesday, the Army’s 5th Infantry Division (5ID) said on Wednesday.
5ID Public Affairs Office (DPAO) chief, Captain Jefferson Somera, said the names of the casualties are put on hold pending information to the family of the two fallen and injured soldiers.
The Army believes that the NPA also suffered casualties in the 15-minute gunfight.
He said the encounter happened at around 10 a.m. of Tuesday in Sitio Matayog, Barangay Baay in Pinukpuk town, about three hours from this capital city.
Somera said that according to 50th Infantry Battalion (50IB) commander, Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Martin Daiz Jr. based in Pinukpuk municipality, the government troops responded to information from members of the community of the presence of terrorists doing extortion activities in the area.
5ID commander, Brigadier General Perfecto Rimando Jr., ordered the immediate evacuation of the injured soldier and two slain troopers.
Somera said the commander also ordered a hot pursuit operation against the fleeing rebels.
“There will be no let-up in our operations in Kalinga Province until the last rebel is either neutralized or has yielded to the government,” he said.
Rimando said, “we also express our deepest sympathy to the family of our soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice in serving the people of Kalinga from the hands of the rebels.”
He assured that all the benefits intended for them will be received by their families the soonest possible time.
Somera said the 5ID commander had already deployed additional soldiers to Kalinga to augment the troops of the 50IB in pursuing the fleeing rebels. (Jesse Maguiya/PNA)
