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On the 5th of May, Red fighters in Northern Samar demonstrated their excellent capability to preserve themselves and deliver powerful blows on the enemy. Armed with four high-powered rifles and a pistol, a team from the Rodante Urtal Command successfully defended itself against 40 soldiers of the 20th IB who attacked an NPA camp in Barangay Palanit, San Isidro, Northern Samar. On the day of the raid, there were only 10 Red fighters in the camp. The others were engaged in mass work in a nearby barrio. It was around 7 a.m. when two comrades who were atop a hill spotted the approaching soldiers. They immediately opened fire at them, hit the ground and sought cover. The enemy retaliated and rained bullets on the comrades. Other comrades in the camp took swift action: they took position to defend themselves, put away valuable equipment and other belongings, and dispatched another comrade to help the two others who were detached from the rest of the squad. Under heavy enemy fire, the three comrades managed to retreat safely back to the camp. There, the unit�s leaders quickly held a consultation and decided to designate a team of fighters to pin down the enemy while other members of the squad retreated. The team of four Red fighters immediately took position on excellent terrain, ready to open fire on any advancing enemy soldier. Their weapons: two M14s and two M16s. One member of the team also had a .45 pistol with him. Despite their superior number, the 40 soldiers failed to gain control of the firefight. The Red fighters who engaged the enemy showed their skill in guerrilla warfare, both in terms of their familiarity with the terrain and in combat tactics. They were also disciplined in the use of ammunition, using up only one magazine each for the entire duration. But they were able to fire effectively and maneuver towards various positions along the terrain they knew like the back of their hand, thoroughly confusing the enemy and frustrating any attempt on its part to advance. The enemy�s complete befuddlement was evident as the comrades heard the soldiers shouting out the NPA�s supposed positions several times. In fact, the positions they pinpointed were those of their fellow soldiers. In the end, the enemy troopers were firing at each other. The Red guerrillas� fighting spirit remained high. The soldiers, on the other hand, were extremely demoralized as their officers relentlessly ordered them to advance despite the fact that they were proving to be easy targets of the Red fighters� concentrated firepower. Up to the time the Red fighters retreated at around 9 a.m., not a single one of them was hit. In contrast, the comrades reckoned that one soldier was killed and five were wounded. Peasants who live nearby, however, recalled seeing eight soldiers killed or wounded being carted off by their fellow troopers from the scene of fighting. The following day, the comrades and the peasants who knew what really happened were flabbergasted and rolling in laughter when Maj. Gen. Glen Rabonza of the 8th ID boasted before the mass media that 20th IB troops had supposedly killed seven Red fighters. The fact is that aside from the comrades not sustaining a single casualty, the enemy also came up almost empty-handed. All they recovered was a 9 mm magazine that was left behind and two generators which the soldiers stumbled into when they returned to the camp using dogs in their search. 
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