National Security Adviser (NSA) Clarita Carlos condemned Saturday, Nov. 26, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), for allegedly killing two soldiers in an ambush in Sipalay City, Negros Occidental.
Sergeants Regie Glendro and Ken Camilan, of the 47th Infantry Battalion, were shot dead by suspected communist rebels in Brgy. Camindangan last Thursday.
“Despite our successful operations and other commendable milestones in promoting peace during these past few weeks in Visayas, it is both infuriating and saddening to hear these kinds of news,” said Carlos, who also serves as the vice chairperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
“Such tragedies will repeat over and over again unless we solve the problem of insurgency and terrorism in our country,” she added.
The ambush came days after an alleged high-ranking NPA leader died in a gunbattle with the military in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental.
Victoriano Baldonado alias Rudy, of Brgy. Trinidad, Guihulngan City, died in an encounter with the troops in Sitio Banderahan last Nov. 21, according to the 62nd Infantry Battalion (62nd IB).
The 62nd IB said Baldonado was the commanding officer of the Section Guerilla Unit, Central Negros Front 1, of the "Komiteng Rehiyon Negros, Cebu, Bohol at Siquijor" (KR-NCBS).
However, the NPA’s Leonardo Panaligan Command of the Central Negros Guerilla Front denied the military’s claim and argued that Baldonado was only a farmer.
Northern Samar ops
In Northern Samar, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) hailed the neutralization of 21 alleged communist rebels, including a "high-ranking leader."
Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro, AFP Chief of Staff, commended the 803rd Infantry Brigade for their efforts to eliminate the threat of communist insurgency in Eastern Visayas.
Last Nov. 23, the 803rd Infantry Brigade conducted an operation under the supervision of the 8th Infantry Division (8ID) that resulted in the death of one Helenita Pardales, the alleged leader of the NPA’s Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee (EVRPC).
Aside from this, nine other alleged communist rebels were killed, seven surrendered, and four more were arrested in various military operations since October 7 in Eastern Visayas, according to the AFP.
“This strategic accomplishment is expected to result in the disintegration of the CTG in Samar Island and significantly affect their presence in neighboring provinces as the EVRPC connects the CTGs in Visayas and Mindanao to those in Luzon,” Bacarro said.