Kalinaw News: Intensified Ops of Army and PNP Neutralize 1 NPA Member, Overrun Enemies’ Hideout and Seize High-powered Firearms and Terroristic Propaganda Materials

From the Kalinaw News Website (Jul 16, 2021): Intensified Ops of Army and PNP Neutralize 1 NPA Member, Overrun Enemies’ Hideout and Seize High-powered Firearms and Terroristic Propaganda Materials



CAMP ELIAS ANGELES, Pili, Camarines Sur- Defying the call of the government to abandon the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG), another communist NPA terrorist (CNT) threw his life away for a useless cause after an armed skirmish in Daraga, Albay at around 6 o’clock in the morning, Friday, July 16.

The encounter stemmed from a report of a concerned citizen who spotted an undetermined number of CNTs in Barangay Canarom who were trying to recruit new members including minors.

Combined elements from 31st Infantry Battalion (31IB), 93rd Division Reconnaissance Company (93DRC) under the operational control of 903rd Infantry Brigade and 2nd Albay Provincial Mobile Force Company (2PMFC), Albay Police Provincial Office of Police Regional Office 5 (PRO-5) immediately conducted security operations and encountered at least ten CTG members.

After a fierce gunfight, government troops overran the enemies’ hideout causing the communist terrorists to scamper towards different directions abandoning the killed terrorist member behind.

Also seized from the encounter site were two M16 rifles, three anti-personnel mines, two molotov bombs, M16 magazines and ammunition, 14-meter wire, bandolier, two laptops, five cellphones, personal belongings and terroristic propaganda materials.

Lieutenant Colonel Eric Culvera, Battalion Commander of 31IB ordered his troops to continue scouring the area to prevent the fleeing CNTs from forcibly taking shelter in the residences of innocent civilians.

“Sa mga taga Daraga, naririyan po ang ating mga kasundaluhan upang tiyakin ang inyong seguridad. Hindi natin hahayaang bulabugin kayo ng mga teroristang ito”, Lieutenant Colonel Culvera said.

Meanwhile, Colonel Aldwine Almase thanked the concerned citizens for the prompt report which led to the said armed clash.

“‘Hindi lang isang concerned citizen ang nagsumbong kundi isang magulang na nagmamalasakit sa kaniyang anak at sa mga kabataang susubukan sanang linlangin ng mga teroristang ito. Daan-daan na ang sumukong mga miyembro at tagasuporta ng CTG kaya nagkukumahog na silang maghanap ng panibagong mga biktima. Subalit mulat na ang mamamayan sa kanilang totoong layunin kaya wala na silang malilinlang pa”, Colonel Almase said.

Police Brigadier General Jonnel Estomo, Regional Director of PRO-5, on the other hand, stressed that the PNP is one with the Army in its all-out war against the CTG.

“Ang PNP po ay mananatiling nakasuporta sa mga kampaya ng JTF Bicolandia at aktibong makikibahagi sa mga proyekto ng RTF-ELCAC para sa kapayapaan at kaunlaran ng Bicol”, Police Brigadier General Estomo said.

Furthermore, Major General Henry A Robinson Jr PA, Commander of Joint Task Force (JTF) Bicolandia, commended the effective interoperability of the Army and PNP in the continuous implementation of joint operations to eliminate the CTG.

“Masaya tayong tuloy-tuloy ang magagandang resulta ng kampanya natin para matuldukan ang problema sa insurhensya. Patunay ito na pinakikinggan ng mga Bicolano dito sa mainland ang panawagan nating gayahin nila ang mga Masbateño na seryoso at pursigidong wakasan ang armadong tunggalian. Patuloy din tayong nananawagan sa mga kapatid nating miyembro ng CTG na magbalik-loob na sa pamahalaan upang huwag ng madagdagan pa ang bilang ng mga komunistang terorista na nasasayang ang buhay dahil sa walang saysay na kilusang ito. Ginagamit lamang kayo ni Jose Maria Sison at ng mga kurakot at mapanlinlang na lider ng CTG”, Police Brigadier General Robinson said.

It can be recalled that this year alone, as the 9ID, Philippine Army and PRO5 of PNP intensify their operations against the terrorist group, several CTG members died in armed encounters which include the four CTG casualties in Barangay Toytoy, Garchitorena, Camarines Sur last February 1 and the three others in Barangay Anas, Masbate City last June 8.

However, CTG members and supporters who desired to live a peaceful life and who witnessed how ruthless, cruel and inhuman their leaders are, finally decided to withdraw their membership and support from the CPP-NPA-NDF. Among them were the whopping 505 who yielded in Masbate from June 18-28, 2021.

At the moment, there is a steady rise in the number of surrenderees all over Bicol particularly in Masbate province while government troops continue to sustain the momentum against the CTG through successful operations along with the government’s peace programs and initiatives under the banner of National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

JTF Bicolandia believes that these successful security operations are the results of the unified efforts of the government, security sector and the Bicolanos who strongly despise CTGs’ acts of terrorism that claimed numerous innocent lives and obstructs the country’s progress and development in the countryside.

[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. Contact us: kalinawnews@cmoregiment.com]

https://www.kalinawnews.com/intensified-operations-of-army-and-pnp-lead-to-neutralization-to-one-npa-member-overrun-enemies-hideout-and-seize-high-powered-firearms-and-terroristic-propaganda-materials/