• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Armed Forces of the Philippines Visayas Command (VISCOM) reported on Sunday (March 3) that the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) suffered devastating blows in February in the military’s efforts to neutralize the remnants of the terrorist group in the region.
VISCOM chief Lt. Gen. Benedict Arevalo said that the 3rd and 8th Infantry Divisions, with the support of Philippine Air Force and Philippine Navy, initiated 21 armed encounters against the CPP-NPA in the Visayas.
This led to the neutralization of 30 NPA rebels, 14 of whom died in encounters, 15 others surrendered and one was captured, records showed.
Some 47 firearms were recovered, of which 34 were categorized as high- powered guns.
“But our mission is not yet over. While we may have achieved significant gains in our campaign last month, there is still more that needs to be done. Our forces are now focused on preventing the resurgence of the CPP-NPA in the Visayas by neutralizing its few remaining members,” Arevalo said.
Of the 30 rebels neutralized, three were high-value personalities.
These included Rolando Caballera, a member of the NPA’s Regional Executive Committee in Eastern Visayas who died during the encounter in Albuera, Leyte on Feb. 10; Domingo Compoc, a top NPA leader in Bohol who was killed during a gunbattle in Bilar, Bohol on Feb. 23; and Rena Rhea Camariosa a.k.a. Kira/Sheena, second deputy secretary of NPA Southern Panay Front, who died following an encounter in San Joaquin, Iloilo on Feb. 28.
Arevalo attributed the success of their campaign in early 2024 to the active support of the people.
“This is the reason why we cannot stop. We must and we will sustain our gains for it is through the call of our people to end the CPP-NPA in the region that we strive and will remain committed to our mandate of ending the local communist armed conflict at the soonest the possible time,” he said.
Arevalo added that they will not hesitate to use their full might to achieve their objective.
“We have the manpower and the resources. As what the terrorist group experienced in the recent skirmishes, we will not hesitate to use our full military might to achieve our objective,” he said.
In the Iloilo encounter on Feb. 28, the 61st Infantry Battalion called for artillery fire support to prevent or minimize casualties on the part of the government forces.
The newly-acquired Autonomous Truck Mounted Howitzer System (ATMOS) 155mm self-propelled gun was used with the support of a surveillance plane.
A precision air strike using two Agusta Westland 109 attack helicopters was utilized against remnants of the dismantled Northern Negros Front on Feb. 21, 22 and 27 in the hinterlands of Escalante City. | GB
