• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Five of the 19 New People’s Army (NPA) fatalities in the series of encounters with Philippine Army soldiers in Toboso, Negros Occidental were key leaders of the dismantled Komiteng Rehiyonal Northern Negros Front (NNF), Brig. Gen. Ted Dumosmog, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, said on Tuesday, April 21.
“There is no confirmation yet if one of the slain rebels was a foreign national,” he added.
Dumosmog said definite declaration can be made only after the Philippine National Police scene of the crime operation team concludes its forensic examination that might include genetic tests on the bodies retrieved from the separate encounter sites in sitios of Sinugmawan and Plaringding, all in Barangay Salamanca.
The five leaders killed were identified by the military as Glenmar Bacosmo, secretary of the NNF and his deputy, with aliases “Pat” and “Salem”; Roger Fabillar, commanding officer of the special operations group and Sentro de Gravidad, and his deputy, Pedro Bonghanoy; and Rene Villarin Sr., vice squad leader.
Of the 19 rebel fatalities, four are women.
Fabillar, who has a bounty of P2 million for his arrest or neutralization, was linked to 36 murder incidents in northern Negros, with civilians and a policeman as victims.
Firearms recovered rose to 24, including seven M16 assault rifles, three caliber 30 M1 garand rifles, three M14 rifles, a carbine rifle, M203 grenade launcher, six caliber .45 pistols, three caliber 357 revolvers, two rifle grenades and a fragmentation grenade.
With these accomplishments, Dumosmog declared that they were able to wipe out and almost neutralize the leadership of the NNF.
“Definitely, there will be a vacuum of leadership in the NNF,” he added.
Dumosmog said the almost 800 evacuees in barangays San Jose and Salamanca in Toboso, and Barangay Ugtongan in Escalante City are now free to return home as the areas affected by the gunbattle have already been declared safe.
However, the police stations of Toboso and its neighboring localities were beefed up by troopers of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion-Negros Island Region in anticipation of possible attacks from the local insurgents.
Justice have been delivered to the victims of Fabillar, according to a statement of the 3rd Infantry Division (ID).
“These efforts are directed at ending the NPA atrocities and killings, once and for all, delivering justice to their victims, and ensuring lasting peace for communities they once terrorized,” Maj. Gen. Michael Samson, 3ID commander, said.
He added: “These combat operations – backed by reliable information and executed with precision – are part of the Army’s continuing efforts in Negros to neutralize all remnants of the NPA”.
“We do not rejoice whenever lives are lost, but we cannot prevent such tragedies as they are the consequence of taking up arms and fighting against the government. Hence, we reiterate our call to the remaining rebel remnants to return to the fold of law,” Samson said. | GB
