Philippine troops killed seven New People’s Army guerrillas in a central province operation on July 27, 2025, and said they were still pursuing others who fled into the hills of Masbate. The military described the clash in Uson town as part of a broader push against an insurgency it says is nearing collapse.

Army officials said the engagement followed an earlier fight in Masbate province last week, when troops killed two rebels and then tracked the remaining fighters to the hinterlands of Uson. Maj. Frank Roldan of the army’s 9th Infantry Division said the gunbattle lasted about 30 minutes and ended with seven guerrillas dead. Troops recovered seven assault rifles and two grenade launchers from the scene.

The military said at least eight other rebels escaped in different directions and were being chased. Roldan said only a few dozen armed fighters remain in the island province, which has long been among the insurgency’s strongholds. He framed the operation as evidence of pressure on a rebel movement that has survived for decades despite repeated offensives, surrenders and internal splits.

The statement from the armed forces also fit into a wider government narrative about the shrinking reach of the communist insurgency. Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said last week that fewer than 900 rebels remain nationwide, down from an estimated 25,000 at the height of the 56-year conflict. Brig. Gen. Medel Aguilar, deputy commander of the military’s Civil Relations Service, said the guerrillas are “on the brink of collapse.”

Still, the fighting in Masbate shows the conflict has not disappeared. The province remains a difficult terrain for government forces and a place where armed rebel groups can move across rural communities and upland roads. The military says the latest operation was designed to keep pressure on the insurgents and prevent them from regrouping after earlier losses.

The rebels are widely known as the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines. In recent years, the army has paired battlefield operations with surrender appeals and peace messaging, while insisting the insurgency is now reduced to isolated pockets. The July 27 raid suggests those pockets can still force deadly engagements, even as authorities argue the movement is close to being broken.

The military called on the remaining fighters to surrender and support the government’s peace efforts. For now, the pursuit in Masbate continues, and the government is presenting the encounter as another step in a long counterinsurgency campaign it says is approaching its final phase.