Soldier pays the ultimate sacrifice to protect the community

By DPAO, 8ID PA
December 23, 2018

CAMP LUKBAN, Catbalogan City – Community Support Program (CSP) Team of 20th Infantry (We Lead) Battalion, 8ID, PA while conducting security patrol was fired upon by more or less 30 Communist NPA Terrorist (CNTs) at vicinity Brgy Caputo-an, Las Navas, Northern Samar on December 22, 2018 at about 6: 20 A.M.

Firefight between the soldiers and the terrorists lasted for an hour and twenty minutes that resulted to the loss of Private First Class Alvin B. Avila (Inf) PA and wounding of Private Ivan Anthony P. Ignao (Inf) PA and Private Michael S. Ocasla (Inf) PA.

Recovered after the encounter were the following: 60 meters drop wire; one bag of assorted empty shells of (M60 machine gun, M14 and M16 rifles, Cal. 45 and 9mm pistol); two cooking pots; detonating cords and one empty box with Armscor trademark.

The fatality, PFC Avila is 24 years old and is a resident of Aguadas St. District 4, Burauen, Leyte who had a great passion to serve his fellow Visayans in Northern Samar.

The CSP Team was deployed at Brgy Caputo-an to assist the community to facilitate the needed basic services to be addressed by the local government unit.

Major General Raul M. Farnacio, Commander of the 8th Infantry Division, instructed the troops to be more aggressive to put an end to the terroristic activities of the CNTs against our people within our area of operations.