GENERAL SANTOS CITY— Army troopers over the weekend overran a base of the New People’s Army in a hinterland village in Malapatan town, Sarangani province, following a series of operations.
Col. Ronald Villanueva, commanding officer of the Army’s 1002nd Brigade, said Monday troops under the 73rd Infantry Battalion captured an NPA camp in Sitio Lamsalo, Barangay Upper Suyan in Malapatan town after an encounter at around 5 p.m. Sunday.
He said the rebels were forced to abandon the area as a result of the offensives launched by their troops.
“They [rebels] already withdrew towards the boundary of Davao Occidental but our troops are continuously pursuing them,” he said in an interview over radio station Brigada News FM.
The 73IB launched the operations after troops under the Army’s 512th Engineering Brigade who were working on a school building project in Sitio Akbual in Upper Suyan were harassed by NPA rebels last Nov. 1.
No one was hurt in the incident but it affected the implementation of the project, which is a donation from Sarangani Rep. Emmanuel Pacquiao.
Villanueva said their troops initially clashed with a group of rebels as a portion of Upper Suyan last Nov. 5.
He said the operation eventually led to the discovery of the NPA encampment in Sitio Lamasalo.
The 73IB elements tried to enter the area last Friday, Nov. 6, but were hit by a landmine that killed one of them and injured five others, he said.
On Saturday morning, a Huey helicopter ferrying troops and supplies crashed near the area after being hit by strong winds.
The incident injured five 73IB troopers, and four Philippine Air Force pilots and crew members.
The injured troops have been declared out of danger and are recuperating at a private hospital here.
Villanueva said they will continue with their operations until they completely flush out the rebels from the area.
“We’ve been tracking their movements and right now, they’re [rebels] near the Jose Abad Santos town [Davao Occidental] area,” he said.
The official added that they have sent additional troops to the area to pursue the rebels and secure local communities.
