Bicol Police reported two rebels from New People’s Army (NPA) were killed on Thursday (April 30) in a clash with government forces in Monreal, Masbate.
According to Maj. Maria Luisa Calubaquib, Bicol police spokesperson, police were serving a warrant of arrest at the village of McArthur past 5 a.m. when they encountered at least 15 NPA rebels.
The person to be arrested was not identified, and it was not clear yet if the NPA tried to intercept the arrest.
Calubaquib said two NPAs were killed in the gunfight. She also said the police recovered the rebels’ deceased bodies, an M-16 assault rifle, and two Carbines from the clash scene.
The identities of the slain rebels’ identities are not yet known.
NPA kills man fetching water in Masbate
Meanwhile, the Bicol police also said NPA rebels shot and killed a man fetching water on Thursday (April 30) in Cawayan town, also in Masbate.
A man fetching water was shot and killed on Thursday (April 30) at a village in Cawayan town, Masbate province, in an attack that police blamed on communist rebels.
According to Calubaquib, Jason Cebuano, 27 years old and a laborer, was getting water from a well when NPA members shot him at close range.
Police are still investigating why the NPA targeted Cebuano.
Also read: Duterte threatens to declare Martial Law if NPA rebels continue its lawlessness
Soldier killed in Masbate clash
Just last week, NPA rebels killed an army soldier in an encounter in San Jacinto town in Masbate province, Sunday, April 19.
Calubaquib said Philippine Army soldiers were on patrol when they clashed with the NPA in Barangays (villages) Salvacion, San Fernando, and Pina at around 1 p.m.
Police recovered five M16 rifles and an M203 rifle from the scene of the clash.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier junked the peace talks with the CPP-NPA over its recent attacks against the Philippine military in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There are no more peace talks to talk about,” the President said in a taped message. “I am not and will never be ready for any round of talks.”
According to the President, the NPAs have no words of honor and continued killing Philippines soldiers who are doing humanitarian missions.
“The NPA and the Communist Party of the Philippines have no respect either for their spoken words or in their deeds of killing soldiers who are on humanitarian missions,” he added.