DAVAO DE ORO, February 28 (PIA) - - Local officials in New Bataan confirmed on Saturday that there was an armed encounter in Purok 8, Barangay Andap in New Bataan, Davao de Oro on February 24, 2022. Cequiña Dante, barangay chairperson of Andap, and Lope Marcelino, chairman of Purok 8 signed the certification confirming the said encounter. The officials also stated that a civilian tipped off the military of the presence of the New People’s Army (NPA) in the area that resulted in the armed clash. This certification affirmed the reports from the 1001 st Infantry Pagasa Brigade that five NPA members were killed in an encounter in the area on February 24, 2022, including Chad Booc, a Bakwit school teacher, and Gelijurain Nguho II, a graduate of the Liceo de Davao in Tagum and volunteer teacher in Community Technical College of Southern Mindanao (CTCSM). Even with this, several groups took to social media condemning the ‘massacre’ of the Booc, and his companions. In twitter, Marco Valbuena,