Bohol town encounter kills 5 NPA rebels

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 23, 2024): Bohol town encounter kills 5 NPA rebels (By John Rey Saavedra)

BOHOL ENCOUNTER. The five remnants of the Bohol Party Committee of the CPP-NPA killed in an armed encounter with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police in Barangay Campagao, Bilar town in Bohol province on Friday morning (Feb. 23, 2024). One member of the PNP died and another was wounded while the affected residents were evacuated and secured by the authorities. (Contributed photo)

CEBU CITY – Five remnants of the Bohol Party Committee (BPC) were killed Friday morning in an armed encounter with government troopers in Bilar town, province of Bohol, the Visayas Command reported.

Government soldiers and policemen were about to serve a warrant of arrest against a member of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) when they chanced upon a group of rebels led by Domingo Jaspe Compoc alias Silong at Sitio Matin-ao, Barangay Campagao, at 6:50 a.m.

Compoc, with a bounty on his head amounting to PHP2.6 million, was a squad leader of the party committee and former commanding officer of Sandatahang Yunit Pangpropaganda (SYP) Platoon of BPC. He was among those killed during the encounter.

He was wanted for several cases including rebellion, homicide, attempted homicide, multiple murder, frustrated murder and robbery.

Also killed in the gunbattle that lasted for more than two hours and 45 minutes were Parlito Segovia alias Aldrin, the assistant squad leader and political guide; Marlon Omosura alias Darwin, squad member; Hannah Joy Cesista alias Maya or Lean; and a certain Juaning, a squad member.

Meanwhile, a policeman identified as Corporal Gilbert Amper also died in the encounter while another, Corporal Gerard Rollon, was also wounded and now being treated at the Congressman Simeon Toribio Memorial Hospital.

They are both assigned at the Bohol provincial police intelligence unit.

Government operatives recovered M16 Baby Armalite, an R4 M16, an M16, and three caliber .45 pistols after the firefight.

Lt. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, Viscom commander, attributed the latest accomplishment to the active support of the people and the strong bond of partnership with the different government agencies.

"This recent success in our campaign was made possible by the active support of our people, who have been providing us with credible information leading to the demise of the CPP-NPA. Likewise, our ironclad partnership with the different government agencies, especially the PNP (Philippine National Police) who have been our strong partner in ensuring the safety and security of our people in the entire Visayas region,” he said in a separate statement.

In the clearing operations, government troopers, through their Explosives and Ordnance Device K9 unit, scoured the area to ensure that no remaining explosives were planted in the area.

Members of the Scene of the Crime Operations of the PNP’s Forensic Science Unit in Bohol were deployed to conduct scene investigation.

“The affected civilians were evacuated to a safe location and secured by PNP personnel,” the Viscom statement said, adding that the PNP is also conducting checkpoints in all strategic locations to arrest remaining remnants who fled at the encounter site.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1219412