CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY: The military has retrieved and turned over the bodies of two communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels killed in an encounter with government troops in the hinterlands of Misamis Oriental on May 27. As the bodies of the NPA rebels were recovered, about 140 members of the Higaonon tribe consisting of 40 families evacuated and settled at the provincial capitol grounds here on Monday morning. The military and the NPA rebels engaged in a running gun battle in the mountain of Camansi, a village in the outskirts of Lagonglong where armed skirmishes between government troops and the communist rebels take place every now and then. Ayuman said they would not return to their village until the military leaves the area for fear of their lives. The military continued clearing operations in the villages of Camansi, Banglay and in the borders of Balingasag and Lagonglong to flush out NPA rebels in the area.

Source: Manila Times June 04, 2018 16:25 UTC