The New People’s Army (NPA)-Northern Samar (Rodante Urtal Command) launched an armed action against operating troops of the 20th IB in Barangay Catotoogan, Las Navas, Northern Samar on June 4 at 2:37 in the afternoon. The Red army fired first and actively mounted a defense against the operating soldiers.

Five 20th IB troopers were killed and many others were wounded. The 20th IB admitted only two wounded soldiers as its casualties. Community residents themselves reported the casualties among the soldiers, further confirmed by the continuous arrival of ambulances that night. The 20th IB also used a helicopter to retrieve its casualties.

Meanwhile, the Red army unit safely withdrew after five minutes of firing against the soldiers. “The 20th IB was greatly shaken by their failure,” NPA-Northern Samar spokesperson Ka Amado Pesante said.

He said the 20th IB laughably told residents that three platoons of the NPA attacked them, despite their earlier declarations that guerrilla fronts in the province had already been dismantled. “They themselves are telling the masses that NPA still abound,” Pesante said. The spokesperson added that the incident proves the people’s army’s effective guerrilla tactics and superior knowledge of the terrain.

NPA-Northern Samar also refuted the 20th IB’s claim that it recovered weapons from the Red army and that there were casualties on its side. It said this is a desperate move to cover up the soldiers’ defeat.

“The successful self-defense of the Rodante Urtal Command proves the NPA’s perseverance on the path of people’s war,” Pesante said. He added that the gunfire of the people’s army against fascist soldiers and the reactionary state they represent gives hope to the people.