Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año stressed that law enforcement authorities remain persistent in thwarting the violent ways of the communist terrorist groups (CTG) despite the country’s uphill battle against COVID-19.
“We have been persistent in this goal to rid our country of these CTGs and the neutralization of the extortion team of the NPA is a huge morale booster for the government and the men and women who are working towards a truly peaceful Philippines,” Año said.
He said that the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are truly committed in maintaining law and order that resulted in numerous government-initiated encounters, arrests and surrenders of New People’s Army (NPA) members in recent months.
“Lumiliit na ang mundo ng mga teroristang ito. Habang hindi pa huli ang lahat, sumuko na kayo at talikuran ang inyong baluktot na paniniwala at maling ipinaglalaban (The days of the terrorists are numbered. While there is still time, it is better for you to surrender and turn your backs on your misguided ideologies and wrong beliefs,” Año noted.
Also, the DILG cited the PNP and the AFP for neutralizing five key leaders of the NPA who were responsible for harassing, extorting, and terrorizing local government officials, businessmen, and ordinary citizens in the CALABARZON region.
Año said that among those neutralized were a Rebolusyonaryong Buwis sa Kaaway na Uri (RBKU) staff and an NPA regional intelligence officer who were actively generating funds for the CTG through extortion and threats on unsuspecting victims.
He added that the RBKU unit is one of the “moneymakers” of the CPP-NPA-NDF, generating millions of funds through extortion and harassment to support the armed struggle in the mountains and to fund the propaganda, organizing and recruitment activities of their front organizations in the urban areas.
Records showed that the police and AFP units were on their way to serve a warrant of arrest for frustrated murder to alias Dads/Darwin, head of the finance staff and Execom member of NPA’s Sub-Regional Military Area 4A, when the CTG opened fire at them leading to a shootout in Sitio Malalim, San Juan, Baras, Rizal.
After the shootout, five bodies from the side of the NPA were found including that of alias Sandra, wife of alias Luis, secretary of Guerilla Front Cesar, and concurrently designated as SRMA 4A's RBKU staff and alias Onli, the terrorist group's intelligence officer.
Three NPA members killed in the said incident are still being identified.
Recovered in the crime scene were two (2) M16 rifles; two cal .45 pistols; one Uzi; and several electronic devices and subversive documents.
“It can be recalled that a few days ago, the AFP also made progress after an encounter resulting to the death of four NPA members under its Komiteng Larangang Gerilya Mark Anthony Velasco or KLG MAV operating in Mindoro,’’ the DILG ended.