Nineteen members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in the islands of Panay and Negros were neutralized in one month, the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) said.
The 3ID reported that they engaged with the communist rebels in 14 encounters from July 29 to August 31.
Thirteen of the NPA fatalities were from Panay, and six were from Negros Island, the 3ID said.
“When the loudest clarion call sounds, we rise above any situation and deliver the best results, no matter the circumstances,” 3ID commander Major General Marion Sison said in the statement.
“The quality of our work remains consistent and unprecedented, leading to victories one after another,” Sison added.
Among the NPA members killed was Maria Concepcion “Ka Concha” Araneta-Bocala, who was considered the most wanted communist rebel in the Visayas, with a bounty of P5.3 million.
“Ka Concha” died in an encounter with the 82nd Infantry Battalion (IB) in Iloilo province’s Lambunao town on August 15.
Two other key NPA leaders, Vivian Torato Teodosio and Vicente Hinojales, were also neutralized along with Bocala.
In Negros Occidental, an encounter with the 94IB on August 22 led to the deaths of two suspected NPA remnants in Himamaylan City’s Barangay Buenavista.
The 94IB identified the fatalities as couple, 31-year-old Joan Lacio “Mark” Encarnacion and 30-year-old Jolina “Chloe” Martinez Sergio of NPA’s Central Negros 2-Sentro de Grabidad Platoon.
They served as the group’s vice commanding officer and political instructor, respectively.
In July, Sison said most of the guerrilla fronts of the NPA in Negros have been dismantled by the military.
However, there are five NPA remnants that are still being monitored by the authorities.
“We will sustain whatever gains we have made. As long as there are remnants of the NPA, let us not relax, and let us sustain our gains,” Sison said.
“We will finish them. We will eradicate them in order for Negros Occidental to really have that peace, progress and development,” he stressed.
Earlier, the 3ID recommended the declaration of Stable Internal Peace and Security (SIPS) status in Negros Occidental to President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
Brigadier General Orlando Edralin, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, said Negros has already met the necessary criteria for SIPS status, which includes the dismantling of all guerrilla fronts on the island, and the establishment of the Integrated Territorial Defense System.
Under the SIPS status, the province is considered relatively peaceful and cleared from communist insurgents, which reflects the ongoing progress in the government’s campaign against the insurgency in Negros./WDJ