Police commandos killed a suspected communist rebel and confiscated several firearms and documents during a series of raids in a span of three days as part of the intensified the operations in the province of Samar.

Gen. Debold Sinas, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said the rebel who was killed in Barangay Inubod, Matuguinao town of Samar was later identified as Alger Hinandoy Morillo, allegedly a newly-recruited member of the New People’s Army (NPA).
He said Morillo was killed after more than one hour of gun battle in Barangay Inunod on January 10 based on the intelligence reports about the presence of several communist rebels who are holed up in the area.
Seized were an M16 rifle, backpack containing his personal belongings and another bag containing improvised explosive devices.
On January 11, SAF commandos also engaged several communist rebels in the same barangay and resulted in the recovery of personal belongings of the rebels and various documents. There was no casualty from both sides.
On January 12, a three-minute gun battle sparked anew in the same barangay which led to the recovery of one sniper rifle.
Sinas said all the recovered materials were already turned over to the local police.
Both the police and the military have intensified the operations against the communist rebels after the peace talks between the government and the NPA bogged down under the Duterte administration.