Army blocks rebels' drive to recover Leyte villages

TACLOBAN CITY, Aug. 30  -- The Philippine Army has assured Leyte villagers that they will not allow communist rebels to recover former strongholds.

Brig. Gen. Francisco Mendoza, Army’s 802nd brigade commander, said on Wednesday that recent clashes in the mountains of Burauen, Leyte do not mean that rebels are gaining strength in the province.

“The three encounters in Burauen town in the past few weeks happened in the mountains and far from communities. This is an indication that rebels are no longer welcome in villages,” Francisco said.

The official said the clashes happened because villagers reported to the military the sightings of armed rebels in the mountains.

A soldier was wounded during clashes from August 15 to August 20. These encounters led the discovery of camps of New People’s Army (NPA), and driving rebels upland, farther from settlements.  Mendoza revealed there are about 50 rebels in Leyte province, 40 of them armed.

The NPA has stepped up their insurgency drive within the mountain range of central Leyte, he said citing intelligence report. 

“We will not give them the opportunity to recover the areas already recovered by our government forces from rebel influences,” assured Mendoza despite the recent deployment of the 19th Infantry Battalion to Mindanao.

Burauen Mayor Juanito Renomeron confirmed on Wednesday, the efforts of rebels to  penetrate far-flung villages of Roxas, Candag-on, Cagbana, and Mahagnao.

He said these rebels are not from his town, but from Samar, Luzon, and Mindanao provinces.

“I told residents to return to their communities and teachers to resume classes because the military is on top of the situation. We also identified safe evacuation centers within their village if in case there would be encounters between soldiers and rebels,” Renomeron said. (SQM/PNA)