Army: 5 suspected NPAs killed in Bulacan clash

Five suspected communist rebels and an Army enlisted personnel were killed following a predawn clash in Bulacan, a regional military commander said Tuesday. Citing field reports, Col. Hilaro Lagnada, commander of the Army's 56th Infantry Battalion, said the clash erupted 5:30 a.m. when patrolling government security forces were fired upon by about 20-30 New People's Army in Kebambam village in San Jose del Monte City. A 30-minute firefight then ensued, before the rebels fled bringing with them their casualties, Lagnada said. However, no bodies of the supposed rebel-fatalities were recovered. Quoting information gathered by civilian assets, Lagnada claimed the bodies were brought by the rebels in their escape. "We recovered bloodied backpacks, cellphone, subversive documents and rifle grenades," Lagnada said. He added that the rebels came from Rizal province. The NPA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines. Peace talks with the National Democratic Front have remained stalled since August 2004. — RSJ, GMA News