LAGANGILANG, Abra – Six members of the terrorist New People’s Army (NPA), one of them an amazon, were seriously wounded while an army trooper was slightly hurt following a more than two-hour encounter between rebels and government troopers in mountainous barangay Apao in Teneg, this province last Tuesday.

Lt. Colonel Angelito De Leon, commander of the 41st Infantry Battalion, stated in his report to Colonel Manuel Manalo Jr., commanding officer of the Army’s 503rd Infantry Brigade based at Sulvec in Narvacan, Ilocos Sur, that the gunbattle took place at 6:50 a.m. Tuesday.

De Leon said the encounter ensued soon after a civilian asset informed the soldiers about the presence of NPA rebels in the area on a mission to collect revolutionary taxes form the civilian populace.

Slightly wounded in the encounter was PFC Germono of the 41st Infantry Battalion.

The six seriously wounded rebels were reportedly carried away by their companions in their escape.

Civilians said they saw the rebels dragging at least six of their wounded companions in their escape towards the mountains.

Recovered at the scene of the encounter were bloodied backpacks containing personal belongings, two ICOM radios and subversive documents.

The wounded rebels were among 20 men believed under the command of one Edgardo Molina, alias “Ka Bobby” and “Ka Dong”, a native of Tineg town.

Sensing the superiority of government forces, the rebels withdrew, leaving bloodstains along their escape routes.

Manalo ordered De Leon to coordinate closely with the police in Abra as well as those in adjacent Ilocos Sur in the conduct of hot pursuit operations against the rebels.

De Leon noted that because of the increasing atrocities of the rebels in Abra, civilians are now cooperating closely with the military and police by providing information on any movement of the rebels in their barangays.

Last year, the 41st IB accepted the voluntary surrender of two minors, a 14-year old girl and a 15-year old boy, who claimed they were recruited by the NPA in their area.