Suspected NPA member slain in Camarines Norte encounter with police

By Martin Sadongdong 

A suspected member of the New People’s Army (NPA) was gunned down after an armed encounter between the police and the Communist group in Basud, Camarines Norte Sunday.

Police Col. Godofredo Tul-o, director of the Camarines Norte Police Provincial Office (PPO), said elements of the First Provincial Mobile Force Company (1PMFC), Provincial Intelligence Branch (PIB) and Regional Intelligence Division (RID5) clashed with at least 15 NPA suspects.

According to Tul-o, the encounter occured while the police units were conducting an internal security operation at Barangay Tuaca, a remote village in Basud town, at around 6 a.m. Sunday.

The firefight lasted for five minutes before the suspects fled to an unknown direction.

After the clash, the police scoured the encounter site and found the body of the fallen NPA suspect.

Tul-o said the suspect has yet to be identified, but noted that the fatality was wearing a blue green shirt, a black jacket and white pants.

A caliber .45 pistol, carbine and hand grenade were found in the suspect’s possession.

Personnel from the Provincial Crime Laboratory Office were dispatched in the area to possibly identify the suspect while a team from the Provincial Explosive Ordnance Division conducted safe rendering procedure on the recovered hand grenade, Tul-o said.

No casualty was recorded on the side of the police.

Tul-o said hot pursuit operation has been conducted to hunt down the remaining members of the group.

“Adjacent municipal police stations were also advised to conduct checkpoint and chokepoint operations, and preventive patrols to monitor the movement of the fleeing members of the communist group,” he concluded.