BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Army’s 3rd Infantry Division yesterday slammed Negros rebel group spokesman Ka Juanito Magbanua for spreading lies aimed at cushioning the setbacks they suffered during an encounter in Binalbagan, Negros Occidental, that claimed the lives of four of their members.
In a statement, Magbanua claimed that it was a fake encounter, and the NPA members who were seeking refuge in a makeshift hut, were sick and resting.
The 3ID, in a statement it issued, said the claims of Magbanua was contradicted by 19 former colleagues of the slain rebels, who surrendered to the 94th Infantry Battalion days before the encounter.
Three of the four of the slain rebels, including a 26-year-old amazon, were reported by Brig.Gen. Inocencio Pasaporte, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, to have been occupying various positions in the Central Negros Front 2 of the Komiteng Rehiyonal Negros Cebu Bohol Siquijor.
The 19 former rebel combatants who gave up the armed struggle and surrendered several firearms are also affiliated with Central Negros Front 2, Pasaporte added.
Magbanua’s statement is nothing but a fabricated story designed to twist the actual scenario, the 3ID said, noting that he resorted to old tactics by spreading fake news and twisted stories every time government forces successfully thwarted their planned atrocities.
Army soldiers also recovered four high powered firearms, among other items, from the encounter site.
The families of Ruel Udtuhan and Rowell Ladera have already claimed their cadavers at the Sabino Funeral Homes in Binalbagan, while those of the two others are yet to be claimed by relatives.
On July 6, a ranking rebel leader of the dismantled Northern Negros Front was also captured by 79th Infantry Battalion soldiers, following an encounter in Brgy. Marcelo, Calatrava, that yielded assorted firearms with ammunition and explosives.*
