Army junior officer and five members of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) were killed in a clash between government security forces and the rebels in Negros Occidental, Sunday morning.

Reports reaching the Army headquarters at Fort Bonifacio stated that the encounter took place at about 10 a.m. in Barangay Bonifacio, Cadiz City.

Lieutenant Arnulfo Burgos Jr., Army spokesman, said two platoons from the 62nd Infantry Battalion were conducting patrol operations in the area when they encountered the group of heavily-armed rebels.

After the firefight, the military recovered the bodies of five suspected members of the NPA, two of them women.

The military also picked up three high-powered firearms at the scene of the clash.

Burgos said 1Lt. Archie Polenzo was also killed during the firefight, which happened a day after 11 Army troopers were killed in a gunbattle with some 60 NPA guerrillas in Oriental Mindoro.

Killed in that encounter were 1Lt. Ronnie Sipsip, Cpl. Francisco Pialago, PFC Mark Erasmus Balut, PFC Romy dela Cruz, PFC Tedjay Perez, PFC Rizaldy Maglinao, PFC Jeprey Fajardo, PFC Jimmer Aragon, PFC Alan Comon, PFC Randinier Caraan, and Private Vergel Depositario.

The Philippine Army has ordered an investigation for possible tactical blunders in the conduct of Saturday’s military operation.