The New People’s Army (NPA)-Mindoro (Lucio de Guzman Command) thwarted the 203rd IBde attack on one of its units in Sityo Lukban, Barangay Panaytayan, Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro on July 11. NPA-Mindoro reports killing three and wounding others of the 203rd IBde soldiers in battle.

The clash started at 6:05 am and lasted for 20 minutes. A Red fighter was wounded in the battle.

The 203rd IBde operating troopers that clashed with the people’s army were part of its battalion-strong force covering the towns of Mansalay and Bulalacao. The 203rd IBde uses vastly superior weapons, war equipment and resources in focused military operations (FMO).

The 203rd IBde’s FMOs began in last week of June after the fake encounter by the 4th IB, part of the 203rd IBde, in Barangay Benli, Bulalacao. Ka Madaay Gasic, spokesperson of the NPA-Mindoro, belied the 4th IB’s claim of a 10-minute encounter and confiscation of military equipment.

After the fabricated battle, the 203rd IBde deployed several columns in the interior barangays and parts of Bulalacao and Mansalay. The maneuver of these troopers covered the border of Mansalay and Roxas in Oriental Mindoro and the San Jose and Magsaysay area in Occidental Mindoro. The brigade sent helicopters as fire and maneuver support for their ground troops.

The military camps previously located in the interior and outskirts of the said town remained and served as a support for the attacking troopers. They installed checkpoints on major roads.

Because they failed to defeat the people’s army, the military targetted the farmers and indigenous Mangyans. The soldiers arrested Sityo Lukban leader G. Itaw Ramunyan on July 11. They then arrested two other Mangyan-Hanunuo in Bulalacao.

Amid state terrorism, Ka Madaay stressed that “the anger of the Mindoreños against the fascist soldiers is further fueled because of the repeated harassment against Mangyan and peasant communities by the FMO and RCSP.”

He declared that the Mindoreño revolutionaries will continue to resist and thwart the attacks of the 203rd Bde as its contribution to frustrate the suppression campaign throughout the country. “Full of determination and courage, it thrives on the path of resistance because of the broad support of the people,” the spokesperson added.