• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The New People’s Army Mt. Cansermon Command issued a statement that it suffered a casualty in recent encounters with 94th Infantry Battalion soldiers on July 7 in Sitio Pangi, Brgy. Carabalan, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental.
Rebel spokesperson Ka Dionesio Magubuelas identified their slain member as Potenciano Sevilla, alias Ka Bambam, who died after 15 minutes of gun battle.
Sevilla, who was left behind at the encounter site by fleeing comrades, was buried on a public cemetery in Himamaylan City, as facilitated by the city government of Himamaylan, 94IB, and the city police force.
Magbuelas claimed that two soldiers also died in the encounter offensives they had initiated, which was dismissed by the Philippine Army as mere propaganda of remnants of the NPA in Negros Island.
Army soldiers and police also recovered a Remington R4 assault rifle, a homemade shotgun, a fragmentation grenade, two back packs containing extortion letters, and personal belongings.
On the other hand, a resident of San Carlos City, Negros Occidental who is a former member of the dismantled Northern Negros Front of the NPA, gave himself up to authorities at Spur 16 in Brgy. Bunga, Don Salvador Benedicto, police said.
The former rebel also surrendered a caliber .357 Magnum revolver with ammunition, according to PLt. Col. Edison Garcia, commander of the 1st Negros Occidental Provincial Mobile Force Company.*
