BACOLOD CITY — The provincial government of Negros Occidental joined the Philippine Army's 94th Infantry Battalion in honoring two of its soldiers who were killed in a clash against state troopers and members of the New People's Army in Himamaylan City over the weekend.

On Saturday afternoon, the 94IB and its supervising unit, the 303rd Infantry Brigade confirmed the two deaths and the wounding of six others.

The identities of the casualties are still withheld.

"The province mourns the loss of our two soldiers who were killed during the encounter in Barangay Carabalan," Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said in a statement on Sunday, adding that the fallen soldiers displayed "the highest form of bravery, sacrifice, and patriotism".

"This we must always honor and must never forget. They lost their lives in action, in the pursuit of peace for the province, and for the security of the people of Himamaylan and Negros Occidental," he added.

Between Thursday morning and Saturday afternoon, four clashes took place in the remote village, resulting in the evacuation of hundreds of families from Carabalan, Cabadiangan, and adjacent villages in Binalbagan town.