Military claims NPA camp in N. Samar
An NPA camp in Northern Samar has fallen into the hands of the military last week. After a three-day clash which started morning of June 9 in the town of Bobon, the major NPA camp located in the outskirts of Barangay Duran was captured.
Reports said the camp has 70 bunkers that could accommodate 70 individuals at a time. The camp is a staging point for the left-wing rebels in planning their atrocities in nearby communities and against military targets in the boundaries of Bobon, Catarman, and San Isidro.
Lt. Col. Noel Vestuir, commanding officer of the 20th Infantry Battalion (20IB) of the 8th Infantry Division (8ID) said, “our troops have dislodged them (rebels) from their guerilla camp and cut-off their supply and support lines,”
Troops led by Second Lieutenant Peter Galula chanced upon a 10-man group of communist rebels and then a five-minute gunbattle erupted. The next day, another encounter took place which then was followed by two more skirmishes until the following day, June 9.
The three-day skirmish resulted in an undetermined number of deaths and wounded as the rebels fled the scene. Residents have also reported of the presence of the NPA in their community according to Vestuir.
Meanwhile, an NPA rebel has confessed that the left-wing group has infiltrated three universities in the Philippines. Franklin Barrera Jr., a 19-year-old member who escaped allegedly execution by his own comrades, said Polytechnic University of the Philippines, the Philippine Normal University, and the University of the Philippines (UP) has been infiltrated by the NPA.
Barrera made this confession while in the company of the media and senior military officials led by 2nd Infantry Division commander Maj. Gen. Eduardo Del Rosario at Camp Aguinaldo.
Barrera confessed that he was once enrolled in PUP with a specific mission to agitate and recruit new members for the group. “Bilang aktibong miyembro ng kilusan, nag-aral ako sa PUP noon pero na-expel din dahil sa mga gawain ko at ng iba ko pang mga kasamahan, para sa kilusan,” Barrera said.
