LINGAYEN, Pangasinan -- The Pangasinan police has beefed up security in the border areas of eastern Pangasinan following a clash between elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the New People's Army (NPA) in Caranglan, Nueva Ecija.
At least nine NPA rebels were reportedly killed in the firefight that began early today (Wednesday).
According to Senior Supt. Ronald Oliver Lee, police provincial director, the firefight involves soldiers of the Philippine Army and a band of NPA rebels in Caranglan, Nueva Ecija.
Lee said government forces now manning the border areas in the Pangasinan side are from the Pangasinan Police Provincial Office, Provincial Public Safety Company and the Regional Public Safety Battalion, all of the police; as well as from the Army's 84th Infantry Brigade.
He said these forces are being readied to intercept NPA rebels who may be straying into Pangasinan after being driven out from Caranglan, Nueva Ecija.
In fact, he said, the police and the military boosted their strength in the areas around the towns of San Nicolas, Natividad, San Quintin and Umingan, Pangasinan where they were already on full alert since July 28 this year.
On July 28, elements of the Regional Public Safety Battalion 1 (RSPB1) clashed with NPA rebels in the boundary of Barangays Sta. Maria and Malico in San Nicolas where one government trooper was killed and another was wounded.
Another firefight happened on August 25 in the same area resulting in the death of three NPA rebels..
Lee admitted that NPA rebels who clashed with government forces in San Nicolas on July 28 and August 25 in San Nicolas, Pangasinan came from Nueva Ecija where they are reportedly actively operating. (PNA)
