5 rebels killed in Bukidnon clash

Five New People’s Army members were killed while two soldiers were wounded as government troops clashed with a large band of rebels who ambushed them in Pangantucan, Bukidnon, on Tuesday, the military said Wednesday.

Troops recovered the slain rebels’ bodies, along with an AK-47 rifle, 19 back packs, food and medical supplies, and subversive documents, said Captain Albert Caber, spokesman of the Armed Forces’ Eastern Mindanao Command.

An officer and an enlisted personnel of the Army’s 3rd Special Forces Company (3rd SFC) were also wounded in the clash and have been taken to the hospital, Caber said by phone.

“Residents reported that there are at least five other rebels who have been wounded, so it’s possible that the casualties will rise. Clearing operations are ongoing as we speak,” he added.

The clash occurred 4:14 p.m. in Brgy. Mendiz, but was reported to the regional military command only Wednesday because of poor communication lines in the area, according to Caber.

Fighting lasted for one hour and 30 minutes before the rebels withdrew, he said.

According to Caber, elements of the 3rd SFC went to that barangay to check reports on the presence of NPA members.

“May nagreport kasi na may mga NPA dun, so pinuntahan ng SF to verify. While on their way, pinutukan na agad sila, so nagretaliate ‘yung SF. More or less 60 ‘yung nakalaban nila doon,” Caber said.

“Ambush talaga ang nangyari, kaya lang nakapag-return fire ‘yung SF,” he said.

The slain rebels have yet to be identified but information from the ground indicate that they were members of the North Central Mindanao Regional Commitee and were led by an alias “Andy,” Caber said.

Troops have already coordinated with the local government to help identify the slain rebels and facilitate their burial, he said. (John Roson)

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5 communist rebels killed in clash with cops in Pampanga

Five suspected communist rebels were killed while another was captured in a clash with policemen in Mexico, Pampanga, early Tuesday, police said.

Killed were four men and a woman who are all believed to be members of the Marxist-Leninist Party of the Philippines-Rebolusyunaryong Hukbong Bayan (MLPP-RHB), Pampanga provincial police director Senior Superintendent Rodolfo Recomono said.

The five were later identified as Roel Gomez alias “Ka Remy,” 32; Ruth Liberty Vudade-Abalong, 29; Evan Balaguis alias “Ka Lina,” 23; Renato Nucum alias “Toys,” 52; and Aries Nucum alias “Ka Amy, 25.

They were brought to the Mexico Community Hospital for treatment after the clash, but all were pronounced dead by doctors, provincial police spokesperson Superintendent Anna Liza Guzman said.

One Ryan Lising, 28, was arrested after authorities found him carrying a loaded caliber-.45 pistol, she said.

The clash occurred around 1:20 a.m. in Brgy. San Jose Matulid.

Elements of the provincial police’s intelligence branch, Special Weapons and Tactics unit, and Mexico Police carried out an operation after learning of the presence of MLPP-RHB members in the area, Recomono said in a text message.

The suspects were allegedly involved in incidents of robbery/hold-up, car thefts, as well as gun-for-hire and extortion activities, in Pampanga and nearby provinces, he said.

Operatives seized four short firearms, two Carbine rifles, an M16 rifle, a hand grenade, a bow and three arrows, a crossbow, subversive documents, electronic gadgets, and a pair of binoculars from the suspects, Guzman said.

Four unregistered motorcycles were also found at the scene, Recomono said.

The MLPP-RHB, whose members are mostly based in Central Luzon, is a group that broke away from the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army in the 90s. (John Roson)

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5 rebels killed in Sarangani clash — Army

Five New People’s Army (NPA) members were killed while sevaral high-powered firearms were seized as government troops clashed with the rebel group in Alabel, Sarangani, on Monday, the military said.

The slain rebels’ bodies were recovered but their identities have yet to be determined, 1Lt. Vergel Lacambra, public affairs officer of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division, said by phone.

The clash in Sitio Tugal, Brgy. Datal Anggas, erupted around 8 a.m.

Elements of the 73rd Infantry Battalion encountered about 30 rebels led by alias “Lucas,” secretary of the NPA Far-South Mindanao Regional Committee’s Front 75, Lacambra said.

Two MG-520 attack helicopters from the Air Force provided close-air support to the ground troops, he said.

No one was hurt among the government troops, who also recovered two AK-47 rifles, an M653 Baby Armalite rifle, and three M16 rifles from the rebels, Lacambra said. (John Roson)

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5 dead, 5 hurt as rebels attack police station in Davao Oriental

Four soldiers and a New People’s Army (NPA) member were killed while five other security personnel were injured as the rebel group attacked the police station in Mati City, Davao Oriental, Sunday night, authorities said Monday.

Killed were Pfc. Daniel Damansila Jr., Pvt. Ryan Amigo, Pfc. Wil Christian Resuelo, Sgt. Adel Lucanan, and a still unidentified NPA member, said Colonel Romeo Brawner, spokesman of the Armed Forces’ Eastern Mindanao Command.

Injured were one policeman, Pfc. Virgil Logronio, Pfc. Emerito Castillo, Pfc. Ian Mark Babiera, and Pfc. Zaldy Canonero, Brawner said.

About 50 rebels carried out the attack around 7:30 p.m., he said.

Some of them, who were on an Elf truck, two vans, and five motorcycles, arrived at the police station and fired on it so policemen fought it out with them, Brawner said.

Members of the Davao Oriental provincial police reinforced the police station upon learning the incident, Southern Mindanao regional police spokesman Superintendent Antonio Rivera said.

Troops of the Army’s 701st Brigade on armored personnel carriers also reinforced the policemen and engaged the rebels in a running gun battle, Brawner said.

A policeman was wounded while an NPA member was killed during the clash in Brgy. Poblacion, he said.

Elements of the 104th Division Reconnaissance Company were also sent to join the pursuit, but were landmined around 8 p.m.

Members of that unit were on the way to the clash site when a landmine explosion hit the truck were riding in Sitio Magay, Brgy. Don Martin Marundan, only 300 maters away from the 701st Brigade headquarters, Brawner said.

Two landmines exploded near the brigade headquarters, Rivera said.

Damansila and Amigo died on the spot. Resuelo was initially wounded along with Logronio, Castillo, Babiera, and Canonero, but he expired in the hospital later, Brawner said.

Lucanan, on the other hand, died after being shot at a rebel checkpoint near the Saint Camillus Hospital in Brgy. Matiao.

Lucanan was unarmed and in civilian clothes at the time, but he introduced himself as soldier because the men at the roadblock were in PNP uniforms, Brawner said.

Lieutenant General Aurelio Baladad, commander of the Eastern Mindanao Command, condemned the organized attack, particularly the use of landmines.

He said the attack was meant to embarrass the government since Davao Oriental was already declared “insurgency free” in 2013.

“They (NPA) gathered rebels from other provinces to attack and disrupt the already peaceful lives of the people of Davao Oriental,” Baladad said.

Major General Eduardo Año, commander of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division, called the attack a “desperate move” by the NPA amid developmental programs of Davao Oriental.

“We condemn this attack, which was notably carried out in a populated community… Davao Oriental remains a development-ready province. We will keep it that way,” he added. (John Roson)

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Bukidnon mayor killed in rebel ambush

The mayor of Impasug-ong, Bukidnon, died after suspected New People’s Army (NPA) members ambushed his convoy this morning (Wednesday), authorities said.

Mayor Mario Okinlay was brought to the Malaybalay Polymedic Hospital because of a bullet wound, but he expired after a few hours, Maj. Christian Uy, spokesman of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, said by phone.

Okinlay’s convoy was passing through Brgy. Bontongon around 8:20 a.m., when it was fired upon by at least three armed men, Uy said.

Okinlay and 20 employees of the local government unit and policemen were riding motorcycles, followed by a team of soldiers from the Army’s 8th Infantry Battalion who were on a 6×6 truck, he said.

The soldiers returned fire, but the assailants quickly fled, Uy said.

Insp. Joann Galvez, Bukidnon provincial police spokesperson, said Okinlay had just finished conducting a public service program called “Hatod Serbisyo” in Bontongon and was returning to Brgy. Poblacion – located some 18 kilometers away – when suspected NPA members ambushed the convoy.

The mayor suffered a bullet wound to the abdomen during the attack, she said.

Around 11:30 a.m., Okinlay’s brother Dodo, a barangay kagawad, confirmed to police that the mayor passed away, Galvez said.

Authorities suspect the NPA of carrying out the attack because of previous intelligence reports on the rebels’ plan to kill the mayor, she said.

Last June 25, the provincial police’s intelligence branch told the Impasug-ong Police about the NPA’s plan to liquidate Okinlay, Galvez said.

This prompted the town’s police chief to meet with the mayor that day to discuss precautionary and preventive measures, she said.

Uy, for his part, said the rebels might be angry with Okinlay for cooperating with government troops.

“Nakikipag-coordinate siya sa amin, including on this medical mission sa Bontongon. Siguro gusto nilang (rebels) i-discredit yung mga ganitong programs ng local governments with the military,” Uy said, adding that Impasug-ong was once a “rebel-influenced” area.

All police stations in the province have been told to be on the alert and “advise their respective mayors to be cautious because of the incident,” Galvez said.

The provincial police has activated a special investigation task group to identify and charge those who killed Okinlay, while other police units and Army troops were sent to pursue the assailants, she added. (John Roson)

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16 hurt in rebel landmine blasts in Davao del Sur – military

(Updated 2:10 a.m.) Five civilians and 11 soldiers were injured when New People’s Army (NPA) members carried out back-to-back landmine attacks in Bansalan, Davao del Sur, Sunday, the military said.

The latest explosion occurred 7:30 p.m. in Sitio Tower, Brgy. Managa, hitting an ambulance with civilian volunteers of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) on board, Capt. William Alfred Rodriguez, civil-military operations officer of the Army’s 1002nd Brigade, said by phone.

The military identified the injured volunteers as Alberto Cabual Jr., Henaro Dumayas, Arnel Valeroso, Ivan Malingo, and Bonita Dela Cruz.

Dumayas and Cabual are reportedly in critical condition at the Digos Doctors Hospital while the others suffered slight injuries, Rodriguez said.

The PDRRMC ambulance, along with two others manned by Red Cross members and soldiers, was on its way to fetch soldiers who were injured in another landmine blast in Sitio Balutakay, also in Brgy. Managa, past 11 a.m. Rodriguez said.

Eleven members of the 39th Infantry Battalion, including two officers, were injured in the earlier blast, he said. Four of the soldiers are reportedly in critical condition.

The wounded soldiers’ names and ranks were not immediately available.

Troops were sent to Managa to check an information that rebels were “consolidating” in the barangay, Rodriguez said.

The soldiers clashed with an undetermined number of rebels for about an hour and were maneuvering when they were landmined, he said.

Additional soldiers have been sent to the area to extricate the landmined ambulance amid intelligence reports that the rebels will sieze it, Rodriguez said.

Four members of the NPA’s Front 51 were reportedly killed and several others are believed to be hurt during the clash, he said.

The NPA, the Communist Party of the Philippines’ armed wing, is set to celebrate its 45th founding anniversary on March 29. (John Roson)

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AFP to declare ‘end’ of insurgency in Northern Luzon next year – general

Camp Aquino, Tarlac – The Armed Forces plans to declare the “end” of insurgency in Northern Luzon next year to be able to focus on territorial defense, a top military official said Friday.

Maj. Gen. Gregorio Catapang, AFP Northern Luzon Command chief, made the remark as he reported a “low” number of violent incidents involving the New People’s Army (NPA) in his area.

Violent incidents involving the three main NPA committees in Northern Luzon only totaled to 29 from January 1 to August 31, Catapang said in a report presented to media here.

“Non-violent” activities, on the other hand, totaled to 2,361.

Catapang did not say how many rebels are still left in his area of responsibility, but said they were “negligible.”

“We call them NPA remnants because they are manageable or negligible… The only way for them to survive is through extortion and impeding progress” he said.

“The remnants are in areas like Bulacan, but when we hunt them they go to Solcom (Southern Luzon Command) area, Rizal.”

Catapang said Nolcom is also presently pushing for civil projects that will help “end” insurgency.

Among the projects are a network of farm-to-market roads, bridges, port expansions, and schools that amount to more than P70 billion.

Catapang’s presentation on proposed farm-to-market roads had the slogan, “Insurgency ends where road construction begins.”

“The experience we will have here in Central Luzon is it is where insurgency began and where it ended,” Catapang said.

“We will declare Nolcom peaceful and ready for further development next year so we can shift to territorial defense,” he said. (John Roson)

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Cop killed, another hurt in rebel ambush in Masbate

A policeman died while another was injured as suspected New People’s Army (NPA) members fired upon lawmen escorting a tree planting activity in Claveria, Masbate, early Friday, police said.

PO1 Randolph Alegre, of the 5th Regional Public Safety Battalion, died on the spot, Insp. Maria Luisa Calubaquib, Bicol regional police information officer, said.

PO1 McDonald Casi, of the Claveria Police, was injured and brought to a local hospital.

The incident occurred around 7:30 a.m., while members of the 5th RPSB and Claveria Police were escorting participants of a tree planting activity in Sitio Madanlog, Brgy. Buyo.

The local government of Claveria launched the activity in celebration of the civil service month, Calubaquib said.

The policemen were approaching an area when about seven fully-armed men fired upon them, she said. (John Roson)

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2 soldiers killed in clash with NPA in Agusan del Sur

Two soldiers were killed as government troops clashed with New People’s Army (NPA) members in Esperanza, Agusan del Sur, on Saturday, just a few days after the rebel group carried out an attack that left five civilians dead in the same town.

Lt. Col. Leo Bongosia, spokesman of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, said the clash occurred in Brgy. Maliwanag around 4 p.m.

Members of the 26th Infantry Battalion encountered about 15 rebels and the firefight lasted for about 15 minutes, Bongosia said in a text message.

The clash came just four days after NPA members killed five civilian workers and burned several heavy equipment of agro-industrial firm Shannalyne Corp. in Brgy. Hawilian on Tuesday.

The NPA claims that the attack was punishment for Shannalyne’s “land-grabbing” and “environmentally-destructive activities,” while the military says the incident stemmed from the company’s refusal to give in to the rebel group’s “extortion.”

Pursuit against those who attacked are still ongoing despite Saturday’s deadly clash, Bongosia said. (John Roson)

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8 policemen killed, 7 injured in NPA ambush

Eight policemen were killed while seven others were injured in an ambush by New People’s Army (NPA) members in Allacapan, Cagayan, early Monday, police said.

Killed were PO3 Vladimir Tabarejo, PO2 Dexter Cubilla, PO2 Angelbert Mateo, PO2 Elmark Rodney Pinated, PO2 Jonnel Bowat, PO2 Ronald Castulo, PO1 Eric Brioso, and PO1 Jerome Sanchez, all members of the Special Action Force’s (SAF) 24th Company, Senior Insp. Cesar Orlanes, Cagayan provincial police spokesman, said in a phone interview.

PO2 Ronald Gomez, PO2 Jeopano Adang, PO2 Ricky Monay, PO2 Jeofrey Amilagan, PO2 Jeofrey Elasco, and PO1 Ephraim Dolete, also members of the SAF’s 24th Company, were still being treated at the hospital as of this writing.

The policemen were passing through the boundary of Brgys. Cataratan and Centro West around 8:30 a.m., when a landmine explosion hit their troop carrier, Orlanes said.

After the blast, about 30 fully-armed rebels fired upon the police team, which was heading towards the town proper to undergo electrocardiogram (ECG) tests, a requirement for an upcoming physical fitness test, he said.

“Some of them (policemen) were even in their athletic uniforms because they were supposed to undergo ECG,” he said.

Despite being injured, some of the policemen engaged the rebels in a firefight, but it was still unknown if the rebels also suffered casualties, Orlanes said.

“Firearms were also reportedly taken from them (policemen), but we have yet to receive information what types these are,” he said.

After the incident, additional policemen arrived at the area to reinforce the ambushed troops and brought the wounded to the Ballesteros District Hospital.

Castulo was among those who were brought to the hospital, but he expired while undergoing treatment, Orlanes said.

Other policemen were still pursuing the rebels as of this writing. (John Roson)

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