Ranking NPA leader, 4 others slain in SoCot encounter

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 2, 2020): Ranking NPA leader, 4 others slain in SoCot encounter (By Allen Estabillo)

Map of Lake Sebu town, South Cotabato.

A ranking leader of the New People’s Army (NPA) and four other rebels were killed in a law enforcement operation Wednesday dawn in a hinterland village in Lake Sebu town, South Cotabato province.

Lt. Col. Randy Banaag, commanding officer of the Army’s 5th Special Forces Battalion, said the operation targeted NPA leader Romeo Libron, reportedly the regional ordnance head of the NPA Southern Mindanao Regional Committee (SMRC) in the Davao Region.

Banaag said Libron, who had standing arrest warrants for murder and several other cases, was tracked down by intelligence operatives hiding in a house in Sitio Kibang, Barangay Ned.

As the arresting team composed of police and Army personnel were approaching, Banaag said they were fired upon by an undetermined number of gunmen positioned at Libron's hideout.

“It resulted in a fierce firefight that lasted about 20 minutes,” he said in a report.

The Army official said five suspects were fatally wounded in the encounter and later declared dead upon arrival at the Luntao Hospital in Sto. Niño town.

The fatalities were identified as Libron, Rogelio Magsaya, a platoon vice commander under the SMRC, Libron's wife Merly, and a certain Macoy of the rebels' Guerrilla Front 56, and a certain Megz.

Recovered from the house were a Carbine rifle with a defaced serial number, a .45-caliber pistol with serial number 128559, an Elisco M16 rifle with serial number 04363, a .40-caliber Glock 19 with serial number MHV646, two improvised explosives, two blasting caps, bomb-making components and documents, identification cards, cellphones, flash drives, blood pressure apparatus, and other subversive documents.

Lake Sebu Mayor Floro Gandam said the slain rebels reportedly hail from Compostela Valley province in the Davao Region.

“They were there to deceive and recruit my fellow Tbolis to join the NPA,” he said in a radio interview.

Gandam said he directed the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office to prepare relief goods as they expect possible movements of residents living near the area.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1123589