The New People’s Army (NPA)-Northern Negros (Roselyn Jean Pelle Command) opened fire on the 79th IB Charlie Company troopers operating in Purok 5, Barangay XI (Gawahon), Victorias City, Negros Occidental on the night of September 14. According to the initial report, some 79th IB soldiers sustained injuries.

NPA-Northern Negros spokesperson Ka Cecil Estrella said the NPA operation succeeded because of the broad support of the masses in the area and in nearby communities. “The masses support their true army, the NPA, which serves the interests of the oppressed and exploited sectors,” he said.

Ka Cecil added that Barangay Gawahon, where the harassment operation took place, faces land conflicts because of the corrupt implementation of the government’s bogus Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). Big projects of the ruling class are also set to be implemented in the barangay and the city.

As in many places on Negros island and nationwide, the 79th IB and AFP units serve to protect the state’s destructive projects and corrupt programs. They ensure that the people can’t fight these projects.

“These projects endanger the lives and livelihoods of the residents in the area,” Ka Cecil said. As the army of the oppressed masses, the NPA launches tactical offensives to defend the people and gradually weaken the capability of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Meanwhile, to conceal their defeat in the NPA-Northern Negros harassment operation, the 79th IB announced on the night of September 14 that an “encounter” occurred between their unit and the NPA. As in the past, they claimed that only “remnants” of the NPA-Northern Negros are involved in the encounters.