3 rebels killed in armed clash in Licuan-Baay, Abra

Abra, Philippines – Three bodies believed to have belonged to the armed group the military recently encountered in Abra were recovered on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, following pursuit and clearing operations in Licuan-Baay.

On said day, the 5^th Infantry Division reported that the 50^th and 98^th Infantry Battalion clashed for the fourth time with approximately 10 armed remnants of the Ilocos-Cordillera Regional Committee (ICRC) in Barangay Bonglo, Licuan-Baay, Abra, two days since the third encounter transpired at the same area.

ICRC is a regional party organ and operational command of the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army operating in parts of Northern Luzon including Abra, Kalinga, and Apayao. While officially dismantled, small scattered ‘remnants’ of the regional guerilla is still identified as active and continuously evading authorities.

On August 4, 10 remnants of the group clashed anew with the government forces, leaving three of them dead. The bodies of the suspected rebels, whose names are yet to be revealed, were recovered by the troops during pursuit and clearing operations.

5^th Infantry Division Commander, MGen. Gulliver Señires, stressed that the remaining members of the ICRC will not forever evade authorities with the sustained security operations being implemented by the government.

"The successive encounters in Abra show that the remaining ICRC armed remnants can no longer evade sustained government security operations. While we remain steadfast in fulfilling our constitutional mandate, we also remain open to peace. We reiterate our request to the Cordillera Human Rights Alliance to facilitate a Localized Peace Dialogue so we can work together toward lasting peace and development in Abra,” he was quoted saying.

Timeline of events

The first encounter between the 50^th Infantry Battalion and the ICRC remnants happened on July 19, 2026 in Lan-ag, Lacub, Abra where the life of an iKalinga soldier, Corporal Drexler Gumayat, was taken.

The second clash with the same group happened the next day, July 20, in Apao, Tineg, Abra which resulted into the death of one ICRC member.

With the continued pursuit operations, the military once again engaged in a firefight with the ICRC on August 2 before the fourth encounter on August 4 which killed three other rebels.