(Eagle News) — Policemen on a special operation in San Nicolas, Pangasinan had an encounter on Friday (July 28) with around 20 members of the New People’s Army (NPA), where one police officer was killed and another one injured.
Pangasinan Provincial office director Senior Supt. Ronald Lee said the encounter happened on the third day of police operations of the Philippine National Police Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB) after sightings of NPA rebels had been reported in the area.
Lee said the policemen were already returning from their operations, when they encountered the armed NPA rebels.
One police officer was killed, PO2 Aries Tamondong. He said one NPA member was wounded. Police did not identify the other policeman who was wounded.
“Yung encounter kanina ay resulta yun ng major operation ng RSPB, at nung nakaraang araw pa sila nagco-conduct ng operation. And this is their third day,” Senior Supt. Lee said.
“Noong pababa na sila, nung nag-wi-withdraw na sila doon sa taas, na encounter nila yung more or less 20 armed men,” he said referring to the NPA rebels.
The encounter happened at around 10 a.m., in Villeverde, San Nicolas, Pangasinan.
Lee said that the police and the army are now in “hot pursuit” of the NPA rebels.
(based on the report/video by Juvy Barraca, Eagle News Service correspondent in Pangasinan)
