By Alexander Lopez
BUTUAN CITY – Government troops thwarted a communist rebel group’s extortion scheme targeting small-scale miners in Cabadbaran City, Agusan del Norte, the military reported on Wednesday.
According to a statement from the Army’s 29th Infantry Battalion (29IB), small-scale miners in Barangay Del Pilar, Cabadbaran, alerted authorities on Tuesday about the presence of NPA rebels and their acts of extortion and threats against their lives.
Soldiers dispatched to the village encountered a group of NPA rebels, resulting in a brief gunfight that led to the recovery of assorted ammunition and other war matériel.
“The communist NPA terrorists (CNTs) belonged to Squad 2, Sub-Regional Sentro De Grabidad Westland under the North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee of the NPA,” Lt. Col. Cresencio Gargar, 29IB commander, said.
Gargar said the group is led by Ricky Per Sr., who was identified by the residents in the area.
“This recent encounter follows a previous engagement with the same group last February 23, 2024, in the hinterlands of Barangay Concepcion in Cabadbaran City, which resulted in the death of one NPA rebel and the recovery of an AK-47 rifle,” he said.
He also lauded the prompt report made by area residents, which he said should be emulated by other villages harassed by the NPA. (PNA)
