Philippine troops capture 3 senior NPA leaders

DAVAO CITY – The Philippine military on Saturday announced the capture of 3 senior communist leaders in two separate operations in the restive southern region of Mindanao where security forces are battling rebels.

Army Maj. Ezra Balagtey, a spokesman for the Eastern Mindanao Command, said the trio is currently being interrogated after being captured on Friday afternoon in Davao del Sur and in Bukidnon provinces, both are known lairs of the New People’s Army which has been fighting for many decades now for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country.

He said the operations were launched jointly with police commandos that led to the capture of Nudalo Mortejo and his wife Jasmin Badilla in their hideout in the remote village of Sinarangan in Davao del Sur’s Matanao town; and Reboy Gandinao in the village of Lumintao in Bukidnon’s Quezon town.

Balagtey said the Mortejo is the current commander of the NPA’s Pulang Bagani Command -8 and his wife heads the rebel group’s Regional Medical Staff of the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee. He said Gandinao is also a rebel commander and head of the NPA’s Sangay ng Partido Sa Platoon which actively operates in Bukidnon.

“There high-value individuals are long wanted by military and police authorities for their involvements in many ambuscades and other criminality and they are facing a string of murder and kidnappings charges,” Balagtey told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

He said troops also seized explosives and weapons from the hideout of Mortejo and Badilla, and a .45-caliber pistol and ammunition.

Lt. Gen. Aurelio Baladad, chief of the Eastern Mindanao Command, said the capture of senior rebel leaders is a big blow to the NPA. “These significant results of our effort to bring peace and order to our communities are the net result of good relation and support of various stakeholders in the area of Eastern Mindanao Command,” he said.

Just this week, government troops also clashed with NPA rebels and killed a still undetermined number of gunmen in the village of Rojales in Agusan del Norte’s Carmen town.

Brigadier General Jonathan Ponce, commander of the 402^nd Infantry Brigade, said there were no military casualties in the fighting and that troops under the 29^th Infantry Battalion, recovered three M16 automatic rifles, one Ak47 assault rifle, one Carbine rifle, one M203 grenade launcher, two homemade guns and two .45-caliber pistols and rifle grenades, including assorted munitions left behind be rebels.

“The fighting was fierce and there were reports that the NPA suffered casualties and based on the weapons we have recovered there could be substantial losses on the part of the rebel group,” Ponce told The Manila Times by phone from his headquarters in the province.

Ponce also praised the soldiers for their successful mission. Baladad also praised the troops for their accomplishment in the anti-insurgency campaign in Agusan del Norte.

“This accomplishment as the result of intensified intelligence operations wherein your troops actively and commendably participated. It is also a prime example of how the joint efforts of the police and military on the grounds complements each other in protecting our communities and in providing safe and secure communities in eastern Mindanao (region). Keep up the excellent job and congratulations,” Baladad said in his commendation to the 29^th Infantry Battalion, the 402^nd Infantry Brigade and 4^th Infantry Division.

Communist rebels are still holding three policemen – PO3 Democrito Polvorosa, PO1 Marichel Contemplo and PO1 Junrie Amper – as prisoners of war since last year and have repeatedly demanded the pull out of troops in the neighboring Surigao del Norte province to allow their safe release.

The NPA recently released a captured provincial jail warden of Compostela, Jose Coquilla, and also Pvts. Marnel Cinches and Jerrel Yurong in Bukidnon province in northern Mindanao due to humanitarian reason following their capture in August last year in Impasug-ong town; and also Pfc. Alvin Ricarte and Cpl. Benjamin Samano in Compostela Valley province.

There was no immediate statement from the NPA about the latest fighting, but the rebel group has been waging a separatist war for many decades now in an effort to put up a Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)

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