BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Apolinario Gatmaitan Command of the New People’s Army strongly disputed military claims that the four persons arrested on August 26 in Brgy. Carabalan, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental, are their members.
Ka Juanito Magbanua, spokesman of the Apolinario Gatmaitan Command, claimed in a statementthat those arrested by members of the 94th Infantry Battalion, whom he identified as Francis and Gene Boy Verde, Ronald and Jovel Pacheco, are members of the Bantay Bayan.
Magbanua also disputed military claims that there was an encounter between Army soldiers and NPA rebels in the area.
Lt. Col. Angelo Guzman, 94IB commander, reported earlier that the encounter in Brgy. Carabalan, Himamaylan City, also resulted to the injury of an Army soldier and the capture of four Yunit Militia members of the NPA.
The arrest of the four NPA militiamen, according to Guzman, yielded a live ammunition of a M79 grenade launcher, an improvised 12 gauge shotgun, a 357 caliber revolver and .38 caliber revolver with ammunition.
The apprehended suspects were turned over by the 94IB to Himamaylan City Police Station.*
