Regional NPA official, 2 others killed in Sultan Kudarat hostilities

COTABATO CITY - Soldiers killed a regional official of the New People’s Army and his two henchmen in a brief clash in Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat Saturday.

Reports from the Army’s 603^rd Infantry Brigade and its mother unit, the 6^th Infantry Division, identified the slain NPAs as Ian Dela Rama and his subordinate-guerillas Valerio Lacumbo and Wilmer Dela Cruz.

Dela Rama, chief of the NPA’s self-styled Regional Operations Command-Far South Mindanao Region, and his two companions died on the spot from multiple gunshot wounds sustained in a clash with soldiers in Barangay Baluan in Palimbang on Saturday morning.

Palimbang is a seaside town in Sultan Kudarat province in Region 12.

The slain NPAs and their companions fired first at soldiers dispatched to check on their presence in a secluded area in Barangay Baluan as reported by villagers.

Soldiers found a .30 caliber Garand rifle, an M16 assault rifle, two .45 caliber pistols and bags filled with explosives beside the cadavers of Rama and his two companions. 

Members of the Palimbang municipal peace and order council have confirmed that the companions of the slain NPAs carried two wounded companions named Armand Osias and Tomas Undig as they fled when they sensed that Army reinforcements were closing in. 

Major Gen. Roberto Capulong, commander of 6^th ID, said Sunday their units in Palimbang and in nearby towns are guarding against possible NPA retaliation for the death of Rama and his two comrades. (John Unson)