At least two identified members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army have been killed in a series of encounters in Negros Occidental areas, the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Visayas Command reported on Wednesday. 

The government troops under the Philippine Army's 15th Infantry Battalion first dwelled with the weakened NPA guerilla front remnants Southwest Front under Komiteng Rehiyon Negros, Cebu, Bohol and Siquijor (KR NCBS) around 4:15 p.m. in Barangay Yao-Yao, Cauayan town on Tuesday. 

A firefight around 4:25 p.m. followed this after the 5ID pursued the rebels moving in the area.

A third encounter was recorded around 4:43 p.m. on the same day due to the continuous pursuit operations of the military. These encounters resulted in the death of the two NPA members and the recovery of the battle weapons including an M16 rifle, an M14 rifle, a Cal. 45 pistol, and an Anti-Personnel Mine along with several assorted live ammunition, a medical kit, the rebels' personal belongings, and several subversive CPP documents. 

AFP VisCom chief LtGen. Benedict Arevalo said the relentless pursuit operations of the military troops serve as a clear manifestation of the military's "commitment and dedication to ending the local communist armed conflict in the region the soonest possible time."

"This latest debacle of the CPP-NPA further degrades the morale of its members, as their numbers continue to decline, their armed capability continues to fall and they are losing the support of the people," he emphasized.

Arevalo declared the NPA's  imminent defeat "and it's only a matter of time before they crumble and fall."

"The CPP-NPA in the Visayas region is on a losing streak," he added.

The AFP VisCom reported that a total of 28 NPA members were neutralized in October this year alone—which is on top of the 61 supporters and sympathizers "who publicly denounced their support from the terrorist group" with a total of 30 firearms seized by the government troops. 

Arevalo has once again called on the remnants of the CPP-NPA still operating in the Visayas Region to surrender and avail of the government's interventions for them to have a fresh life. 

"Let me reiterate that we do not take pride in taking the lives of our own people. This is the reason why we persistently call upon them to lay down their arms and return to the folds of the law while they still can," he said.