COTABATO CITY – A top leader of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Mindanao was killed in an encounter in Sen. Ninoy Aquino town, Sultan Kudarat province.
Major Roy Galido, commander of the Army 6th Infantry Division and Joint Task Force Central, said the death of Emmanuel Fernandez, alias ‘’Bobo,’’ secretary of the NPA-Far South Mindanao Region, on Sunday, Oct. 30, was a big blow to the communist movement in central Mindanao region.
Galido said Fernandez, a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines, was slain in an encounter with troops from the 603rd Infantry Brigade under Col. Michael Santos in Barangay Buenaflures.
Fernandez was facing a string of criminal cases, including murder, arson, and rebellion.
He was also tagged in the burning of passenger buses and heavy equipment owned by private contractors who refused to pay revolutionary taxes to the NPA.
Galido said the communist leadership in central Mindanao is expected to collapse following the death of Fernandez.