BACOLOD CITY — More than 200 residents of Barangays Buluangan and Quezon in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental displaced by the encounter between government troops and communist rebels have returned to their homes as of Thursday morning.
The Army’s 3rd Infantry Division said soldiers of the 79th Infantry Battalion assisted the affected residents who were evacuated when the clash started at the adjacent Barangay Guadalupe started on April 16.
Data provided by the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Nocppo) showed that 27 families composed of 123 individuals took shelter at Handalago Elementary School while 19 families comprised of 101 individuals stayed at Mabato Elementary School.
Inspector Charmae de Paz, public information officer of Nocppo, said the displaced residents also received assistance from the barangays, city government, and Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Troops of 79th Battalion encountered about 30 members of Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) after they were dispatched by Lt. Col. Emelito Thaddeus Logan to conduct security patrol at Barangay Guadalupe.
No injury or casualty was reported on both sides, but the soldiers later discovered a rebel camp in the area.
Logan said he deployed his men after receiving reports from concerned citizens of the rebels’ continued extortion activities in the hinterlands of the northern Negros city.
“This is a clear indication that the community is tired of the NPA terrorists’ ruthlessness and extortion activities in the area,” he added.
“We are calling the populace to remain vigilant and report the presence and whereabouts of these terrorists to stop them from staging terror in the community,” he added. (PNA)
