Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental — Five suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA) were killed during a clash with military forces in Barangay Tapi on Sunday morning.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Erwin Lamzon, spokesperson for the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, the encounter began at around 5:30 a.m. and resulted in the deaths of four women and one man, including a certain “Ka Kumpol,” an alleged NPA leader.
Ka Kumpol, who was reportedly a former commanding officer of the NPA South Western Front, was wanted by the Philippine National Police for murder. He was also identified as a square leader with an amputated arm.
The military said the clash involved two NPA groups and three battalions of the 302nd Brigade. No casualties were reported on the military side.
In addition to the fatalities, authorities recovered six M16 rifles, one M203 rifle, a sub-9 mm machine gun, a grenade launcher, and 9mm pistols from the scene.
