Eight members of the New People’s Army (NPA) were killed during two separate encounters with government troops in Las Navas, Northern Samar on July 31.
Soldiers from the 8th Infantry Division launched an early morning assault on an NPA encampment in Barangay San Isidro, after receiving reports of extortion and threats against local farmers. The site was heavily fortified and rigged with banned anti-personnel mines.
The first firefight began around 2:30 a.m. and resulted in seven rebels killed. Soldiers recovered six high-powered firearms from the scene.
Later that morning, around 10:00 a.m., troops from the 803rd Infantry Brigade caught up with fleeing rebels, killing another NPA member and seizing an R4 rifle.
Military officials linked the group to the Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee (EVRPC), a known NPA stronghold. The Army also cited a previous ambush by the same faction in 2022 that killed two soldiers, injured a child, and damaged civilian property.
Las Navas Mayor Philbert Tan urged the remaining NPA members to surrender, saying the community had grown tired of the extortion and violence.
Maj. Gen. Adonis Ariel Orio, who leads the Joint Task Force Storm and the 8th ID, credited locals for helping expose rebel movements and emphasized the Army’s ongoing mission to dismantle insurgent networks in the region.
