ENCOUNTER. A location map of the encounter between troops of the Philippine Army’s 62nd Infantry Battalion and remnants of the Central Negros 1 guerrilla of the New People’s Army in Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental, on May 21, 2024. A remnant of the dismantled Central Negros 1 guerrilla front, Richard “Rocky” De la Peña, was killed in the encounter.(Image courtesy of 62nd Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army)
BACOLOD CITY – A remnant of the New People’s Army (NPA) was killed during an encounter with troops of the Philippine Army’s 62nd Infantry Battalion (IB) in a remote village of Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental Tuesday morning.
In a report, the 62IB identified the fatality as Richard “Rocky” De la Peña, 50, from the dismantled Central Negros 1 guerrilla front.
First Lt. Mary Liza De Guzman, civil-military operations officer of 62IB, said in a statement that De la Peña died during a 10-minute clash that took place around 7 a.m. in Sitio Inangaw, Barangay Quintin Remo.
The soldiers launched focused military operations following reports of civilians about the presence of NPA remnants conducting extortion and forced recruitment, she added.
After the encounter, the troops recovered the body of De la Peña along with an M16 rifle, three magazines with live ammunition, a bandolier, and subversive documents.
According to the 62IB, De la Peña was involved in various crimes and human rights violations, among these the murder of Albert Navaro Goles, whom the NPA accused of being a military informant, last April 24.
It was also reported he was in the company of Marivic “Ivan” Ebarle, a communist rebel killed in an encounter on July 20, 2023, at Sitio Kawayanan, Barangay Montilla, Moises Padilla.
In a separate statement, Maj. Gen. Marion Sison, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, commended the operating troops and the locals of Barangay Quintin Remo for their concerted efforts that led to the neutralization of the NPA remnant and the recovery of a high-powered firearm.
“Our peace and security efforts in Negros will persist even as the achievement of a stable internal peace and security environment for all Negrenses is at hand. This is an integral part of our sustainment strategy to prevent any attempts at recovery and resurgence by the dismantled guerrilla fronts of the NPA,” he added. (PNA)
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