MALOLOS CITY —The Army’s 56th Infantry Battalion based in Bulacan killed a number of communist rebels in a recent encounter but failed to show any actual body count.
Major General Ralph Villanueva, the commanding general of the 7th Infantry Division said in a statement that members of the 56th IB engaged some 15 heavily armed rebels in Barangay Sapang Bulak in the mountain town of Donya Remedios Trinidad in eastern Bulacan over the weekend.
He said that while sections of the 56th IB were conducting combat operations in the said area, they were tipped off by civilians of the presence of the rebels.
The soldiers proceeded to the area but were met with a volley of gunfire.
A firefight ensued and lasted for 20 minutes that resulted to the undetermined number of casualties and wounded on the side of the rebels, Villanueva said.
No actual body count was reported by the Army as they retrieved no bodies, instead they assumed that a number of the rebels were killed due to the presence of bloodstains in the encounter site.
The Army also reported no casualty on the government side.
The statement also claimed that the rebels retreated towards the north east direction.
The Army said that in pursuit of the rebels, one section of 56th IB moved from the encounter site towards northern direction while the other cleared the areas at Barangay Sapang Bulak.
The troops tracked the rebel’s route of withdrawal and prevented the communist terrorists from causing much damage to the residents by conducting pursuit operations and establishing military presence and full force within the area.
“The immediate response of our soldiers prevented the communist terrorists from causing damage to the lives and properties of the residents in the area. Aside from conducting continuous hot pursuit operations towards the enemy`s route of withdrawal and establishing military presence in the area, we are always ensuring the safety of the civilians” said Lt. Col. Alfredo Castro, the commanding officer of 56th IB. –R. Ramos
