RECOVERED. Troops of the Philippine Army's 94th Infantry Battalion (IB) recover firearms, explosives, mobile phones, rice supply and suspected shabu, among others from a Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army hideout after an encounter in the hinterlands of Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental on Friday (March 25, 2022). In another clash over the weekend, two still unidentified rebels died, the 94IB said in a report on Sunday (March 27). (Photo courtesy of 303rd Infantry Brigade, Philippine Army) BACOLOD CITY - Two Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) rebels were killed in an encounter with troops of the Philippine Army's 94th Infantry Battalion (IB) in the hinterlands of Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental on Saturday afternoon. The deaths of the still unidentified communist-terrorists were confirmed by the 94IB in a report on Sunday, following three clashes over the weekend, which also led the soldiers to seize the NPA hideout in Sitio Maliko-liko, Barangay Carabalan. In a statement, Lt. Col. Van Donald Almonte, commander of 94IB, acknowledged the cooperation of the locals in providing the troops information on the rebels' hideout as well as their extortion activities in the community. "The villagers of Carabalan hate you now. Your masses are slowly giving up their support to your senseless armed struggle. Surrender now before your time runs out," Almonte told the CPP-NPA. During a pursuit operation around 3:10 p.m. on Saturday, soldiers engaged about five NPA rebels that resulted in the death of two rebels and the recovery of a .45-caliber pistol loaded with three rounds of ammunition, nine rounds of live shotgun ammunition, a medical kit, and subversive documents. On Friday, around 12:05 p.m., the troops also clashed with a group of rebels and, after the enemies fled, found two blasting caps, an ignition switch, ammonium nitrate powder used in making anti-personnel mines, and two sachets of suspected shabu with one tooter pipe in the encounter site. Earlier at 9:50 a.m., they first encountered about 30 NPA rebels after identifying the enemy's location, based on the information provided by village residents. After the rebels fled, the soldiers were able to enter the NPA hideout in the vicinity. Among the items they recovered were two anti-personnel mines with wire, two rifle grenades, three short magazines loaded with ammunition, a bandolier with four M14 magazines loaded with ammunition, and a long empty M16 magazine. The soldiers also found a power generator set, three cellular phones, seven jungle packs, 100 kilos of rice, four cauldrons, six CPP-NPA flags, and documents with high intelligence value. A resident of Sitio Maliko-liko reported to the Army's Community Support Program operators the presence of an armed group camping near his house and tipped them on their plan to attack, the 94IB said in the report. Brig. Gen. Inocencio Pasaporte, commander of 303rd Infantry Brigade, commended the 94IB troops for their service in protecting the communities of Himamaylan City and lauded the cooperation of the local residents. "I know you are always prepared to thwart hostile efforts of the NPA. Your action reflects your determination to protect the Negrenses. The communist-terrorists have nowhere to hide. The strong support of the populace will help put an end to the local armed conflict," he said. The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. The National Democratic Front has been formally designated as a terrorist organization by the Anti-Terrorism Council on June 23, 2021, citing it as "an integral and inseparable part" of the CPP-NPA created in April 1973. (PNA) }