LINGAYEN, Pangasinan - Army soldiers and policemen foiled an attempt by about 30 heavily armed New People’s Army (NPA) rebels who planned to attack the municipal hall and police station in Natividad town, some 65 kilometers east here Monday night.

Sr. Supt. Alan Purisima, police provincial director, said the attackers were NPA rebels from the adjacent province of Nueva Ecija who consider eastern Pangasinan as part of their operational jurisdiction.

But before the NPAs were able to reach the town proper, they were repulsed by elements of the 71st Infantry Battalion and the police led by Sr. Inspector Bernardo Aromin, chief of police of Natividad in sitio Simmimbaan, barangay Batchelot East.

The encounter lasted into the night and dawn, till the rebels allegedly belonging to the Nueva Ecija Party Committee of the CPP-NPA disbanded to different directions in their retreat.

An armalite rifle, several rounds of ammunitions as well as several backpacks containing subservice documetns and personal belongings were left by the rebels in their hurry to escape.

Purisima said that the escaping rebels left several traces of blood along the way, which showed that some of them were wounded and were carried by their companions during their encounter with Army soldiers led by 1st Lt. Terence Carbarle of the 71st IB and policemen led by Sr. Inspector Aromin.

Army soldiers and policemen are now combing different government and private hospitals and clinics in eastern Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija and Tarlac where the rebels wounded during the encounter might have been brought for treatment by their comrades.

Sr. Inspector Aromin said as early as 2:00 p.m. last Monday, he received intelligence report that armed men believed to be members of the NPA were missing in numbers in sitio Simmimbaan, preparatory to attacking the municipal hall and police station of Natividad.

Thus he immediately started the 71st IB stationed in the area, that immediately organized an attacking force as well as three blocking forces to seal the escape routes of the rebels.

Aromin said the men belonged to the same group of rebels sighted off in another village of Natividad who were believed collecting revolutionary taxes from the residents in the area.

Purisima told a radio station early Thursday he has augmented the police stations of San Nicolas, Natividad, San Quintin, Umingan and Balungao, near the Nueva Vizcaya and Nueva Ecija borders, near the foot of the Caraballo mountains, with more men and firepower to deter any attack by the rebels.

He said this stemmed from an intellience report that the rebels are bent on attacking less-manned police stations in their possible attempt to capture more firearms and score a psychological as well as propaganda victory against the government. (PNA)