3 NPA rebels killed in Quezon clash

MANILA, Philippines – Three New People’s Army  (NPA) rebels were killed in an encounter with government troops in the town of San Francisco, Quezon province on Thursday, a military official said.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Southern Luzon spokesman Col. Generoso Bolina said the soldiers of the 74th Infantry Battalion clashed with 6 armed rebels in the vicinity of Butanguid village.

Bolina said the soldiers conducted a combat operation after receiving a tip that a group of rebels, led by a certain “Ka Jun” from Bondoc Peninsula, were harassing staff of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

"The NPA was reportedly threatening DAR-Quezon [province] to discourage them from conducting dialogue with farmers," said Bolina.

He said the gunfight left 3 rebels killed, whose bodies have been retrieved.

Authorities recovered from the rebels 2 M16 rifles, a caliber .38 revolver, a hand grenade, and an improvised explosive device.