A supposed intelligence information about the transportation of supplies for communist rebels served as the starting point of a series of encounters between the military and alleged New People’s Army (NPA) rebels that led to the death of five individuals, including Lumad teacher Chad Booc, in Davao de Oro on Thursday, Feb. 24.
Brig. Gen. Jesus Durante III, commander of the 1001st Infantry Brigade, practically belied on Saturday, Feb. 26, the claims of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) that the military “fabricated” the encounter that killed Booc and his companions.
Booc and his companions' death drew mixed reaction from the public, with various activist and rights groups condeming the military for the "senseless" killings while government supporters praised the troops for neutralizing the alleged communist rebels.
Durante, in a press conference, said that their operation began on Feb. 23 when the troops received a tip from an informant that alleged NPA rebels would bring in supplies for their comrades in Davao de Oro the following day.
“We received a report that a vehicle was about to transport communist supplies in Barangay Andap, New Bataan, Davao de Oro. The troops were then discreetly deployed in the suspected drop off point,” he said.
At about 4 :10 a.m. of Feb. 24, Durante said elements of the 1001st Infantry Brigade saw a group of “armed men” who suddenly appeared in the drop off point. The troops then engaged the suspects in a brief firefight until the latter withdrew.
Durante said the troops pursued the fleeing armed men and after about two hours, or around 6:15 a.m., another encountered occurred where two suspected rebels were fatally hit. The suspects again withdrew and left their dead comrades, according to Durante, but the operating troops managed to close in.
A third encounter occurred at around 7:05 a.m. which lasted for about 15 minutes. After this, the troops discovered that three more suspected rebels ended up dead. The troops cleared the area but there were still some members of the armed men who escaped and left their dead comrades, Durante said.
Durante said former communist rebels who yielded to the military later identified three of the slain suspects as Booc, a volunteer teacher of Lumad (indigenous people) in Mindanao, Jojarain Alce Nguho II alias “Rain,” a volunteer teacher at Community Technical College of Southeastern Mindanao, Inc. (CTCSM), and one alias “Daday.”
The identities of the two other suspects have yet to be determined although the military already concluded that they were members of the Regional Headquarters (RHQ) and Regional Operations Command (ROC) of the NPA’s Southern Mindanao regional Committee (SMRC).
It was not clear whether the military has already began subjecting all five suspects through DNA sampling to solidify their claim about their identities.
Meanwhile, the CPP leadership claimed that they already talked to residents in Barangay Andap in New Bataan, Davao de Oro and said that there was no encounter in the village on Feb. 24.
CPP chief information officer Marco Valbuena said the military only fabricated an encounter to cover up the “cold-blooded murder of civilians or unarmed people” in the community.
‘Duterte order’
Nonetheless, Durante dismissed the CPP’s accusation and urged remaining members of the SMRC to yield to the authorities so they can lead new lives.
He said the suspects’ death formed part of Duterte’s order to the military to “finish off” the New People’s Army and end the five-decades long communist insurgency before his term ends in June of this year.
“Yes, we are optimistic . We have a deadline to meet and hopefully, before the term of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte ends, malaki na ang pagbabago (there will be a big change) when it comes to peace and order dito sa (here in) Davao de Oro province,” Durante said.