Army scores high against communist rebels in Bicol

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 3): Army scores high against communist rebels in Bicol

The Philippine Army scored high in its counter-insurgency operations in the six-province Bicol region in 2012 under its Internal Peace and Security Plan “Bayanihan.” Maj. Gen. Romeo V. Calizo, commander of the Army’s 9th Infantry Division, in his 2012 year-end report to Lt. Gen. Emmanuel T. Bautista, Philippine Army commander, said there was a continued reduction in the number and capabilities of communist rebels all over the Bicol region.

From January to December last year, there were 46 government-initiated encounters as against 27 encounters initiated by New People’s Army (NPA) rebels, armed fighters of the communist movement; that left 23 NPA rebels and 12 government troopers dead.

The Army’s count of the NPA strength was 546 in 2008, declining to 406 in 2010 and increasing to 437 by mid-year of 2011. This figure, however, was reduced to 427 at the end of 2011. By the end of 2012 the NPA strength further declined by 16 percent, with 359 NPA rebels scattered in the four mainland provinces and two island provinces in the Bicol region.

Calizo reported the confiscation of firearms from the NPA rebels. These include 36 high-powered firearms, 31 low-powered firearms, and 33 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) employed as anti-personnel and anti-tank landmines while the Army lost seven high-powered firearms to the NPA rebels.

He cited intelligence information regarding validation of the identities of NPA rebels as to whether they were killed in action, captured, apprehended or surrendered, including reference to captured documents and revelations from former communist rebels. “Based on these validations, there was also a number of new recruits in the rebel organization,” Calizo revealed. But he said the implementation of stricter campaign against insurgency in the countryside led to the surrender of 29 NPA rebels last year.

Calizo reported shaking the organization of the communist rebels in Bicol with the capture or death of eight ranking NPA leaders as a result of Army and Philippine National Police operations. Among the suspected ranking NPA rebels listed slain in encounter were Antonio Perelonia alias Eddie, alleged member of the executive committee of the NPA unit in Albay province; and a certain Rafael Llanto alias Gopi, alleged member of the NPA regional elite force; and another NPA rebel identified as Benjamin Manzera.

The Army in Bicol further reported to have captured officers of the communist movement, including the alleged finance officer of an NPA unit in Albay province identified as Edgardo Sevilla, who was captured in a clash in Iriga City in Camarines Sur on Sept. 5, 2012. Two ranking NPA rebels in the province of Sorsogon were apprehended by the 31st Infantry Battalion and the Sorsogon Public Safety Company on Aug 21, 2012. They were identified as Florence Galos alias Audrey and Alex Gerandio alias Monique. Galos is the alleged logistics and finance officer while Gerandio was supposed to be the squad leader of an NPA rebel unit in Sorsogon.

Top Sorsogon NPA leader Felix Marcaida alias Ka Megs was arrested by joint elements of the Army's 903rd Infantry Brigade and the Albay Provincial Police Office on April 5 last year in Barangay Tagas, Daraga, Albay. “Marcaida’s arrest created a leadership gap in the NPA organization in Sorsogon, resulting in a series of encounters and the capture of major NPA camps by the 31st IB,” according to the report.

Another suspected top NPA leader was caught in Laguna early last year. Identified as Henry Arguenza, the Army tagged him as the top NPA leader in the island province of Catanduanes. Arguenza was arrested together with his companion and another suspected high-ranking NPA leader named Alicia Cenon. According to the Army report, the arrest of Arguenza and Cenon was initiated by the Cabuyao police on March 27, 2012 after the driver of the taxi they had rented complained of grave threats against them. The taxi driver sought assistance from a police center along the national highway. They are now detained at the Sorsogon Provincial Police Office facing murder raps.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=484225