ZAMBOANGA CITY: Two communist rebels were killed and nine people were wounded in fierce fighting in the province of Compostela Valley, an army commander said on Monday.

Lt. Col. Jerry Borja, commander of the 71st Infantry Battalion, said that rebels attacked soldiers in the village of Calabcab in the town of Maco. The weekend fighting left seven soldiers and two civilians wounded.

He said that troops were conducting a dialogue with villagers when dozens of New People’s Army (NPA) rebels opened fire on the crowd.

“Our peace and development team was having a community consultation in barangay hall when NPAs—despite the presence of civilians—attacked and peppered the area with bullets,” Borja said.

He said that troops were not immediately able to return fire for fear that rebels would shoot on civilians.

“Our troops refrained from firing to secure first the civilians. This resulted to seven soldiers wounded in action,” Borja said, adding that the soldiers only managed to return fire after all civilians had been evacuated to a safe area in the village.

“Troops returned fire right after they have secured the residents in the area,” he said.
Borja said troops recovered the bodies of the slain rebels, including their automatic rifles and improvised explosives.

He identified the wounded soldiers as Sgt. Marlon Parong, Cpl. Romualdo Tangonan, Pfc. Erwin Manabat, Pfc. Rocky Molina, Pfc. Jaypee Sionillo, Pfc. Carmelo Cachuela, and Pfc. Ludivico Elegio Jr. They were evacuated to Camp Panacan Station Hospital in Davao City.

The wounded civilians were also identified as Grace Malisa, 22, and Adela Madanlo, 46.