The military reported yesterday that another New People’s Army red fighter  injured in a recent encounter with Army soldiers in Brgy. Malatas, Calatrava,  died on April 24.

A ranking rebel leader and two others are also still in serious condition because of gunshot wounds, Col. Jonas Sumagaysay, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, also said.

Citing information from their informant within the rebel movement, Sumagaysay yesterday identified the slain rebel as a certain Tartar, believed to be in his 40s.

He also claimed that Romeo Nanta,alias Jack and Juaning, commanding officer of the Komiteng Rehiyonal- Negros Regional Operational Command, and two others, who were also injured in the April 14 gunbattle in Calatrava, are now in critical condition.

Nanta and Tartar were among the nine NPA rebels  injured in about 10 minutes of gunbattle with 62nd Infantry Battalion soldiers almost two weeks ago in the hinterlands of Calatrava, military records showed.

The death of Tartar raised  the NPA  fatalities in the gunbattle to five, , Sumagaysay said. He, however, admitted that they have yet not recovered the bodies of  the slain rebels, that he suspected to have  been buried  already by their comrades.

He said  Ka Tartar died because  he has not availed of full medical treatment.

Sumagaysay reiterated his call to parents of injured rebels to avail of adequate medical treatment for them.

The encounter also resulted in injury to PFC Rey Despaladero, but he is now in stable condition.

Lt. Col. Eduardo Gubat, 62nd IB commander, said   no significant insurgency-related incident happened after the April 14 encounter in Calatrava.

Gubat, however, said they are continuously conducting  development and security operations in the area, in support of the development efforts of local government units and government agencies.

“I am hopeful about the impact of various projects that we have now make on  to the lives of the people, especially in the insurgency-affected areas of northern Negros,’” he added.

Sumagaysay also alleged that  the NPA miserably failed to conduct their planned tactical offensives in northern, central and southern Negros that had often  ended in debacles, because of internal conflict among their leaders and ordinary red fighters.*GPB

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