Military sees defeat of Reds in Davao with Casilao's capture
Published Apr 19, 2023 05:36 am
DAVAO CITY – The capture of a ranking New People’s Army leader in Malaysia could be the final nail in the coffin for the communist movement in the Davao region, according to the military.
POLICE escort NPA leader Eric Jun Casilao upon arrival in Davao City on April 17 after he was deported from Malaysia. (10th ID photo)
Combined Malaysian and Philippine authorities captured Eric Jun Casilao, the secretary of the Communist Party of Philippines-Southern Mindanao Region Committee, in Malaysia on April 1. The military said Casilao had been included in the Malaysian Red Notice List and was nabbed by Malaysian immigration authorities at Jeti Point International Clearance Gate, Langkawi, Malaysia, while boarding a ferry bound for Koh Lipe, Thailand. Malaysian authorities deported Casilao to Manila on April 17 and immediately flown to this city on the same day. The 46-year-old Casilao, who hails from this city, had been the subject of intensified military operations, particularly in Davao de Oro province, in recent years. Casilao, who had a P5.4-million bounty on his head, was tagged behind attacks on troops and government installations in Davao. His capture may have sealed the defeat of the communist movement in the region, Army 10th Infantry Division spokesperson Major Mark Anthony Tito said. Tito added that Casilao's arrest is a big blow to the NPA as it would have an adverse domino effect on the morale of remaining communist fighters. “With his capture, we can say that the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee is totally defeated,” said Tito. Casilao, one of the most wanted rebel leaders in Mindanao, had been the subject of a government manhunt following the death of NPA leaders Alvin Luque in December 2020, Jorge Madlos, alias “Ka Oris” in 2021, and Menandro Villanueva, alias “Bok,” in 2022. Tito said Casilao as SMRC secretary supervised 17 NPA guerilla fronts, six Pulang Bagani Command units, and five sub-regional committees operating in the hinterlands of this city, Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, some parts of Agusan del Sur, Bukidnon, and Cotabato provinces. The military estimated that these guerilla fronts were composed of nearly 800 regular armed fighters. The figure does not include the other paramilitary fighters, Tito said. But with the activation of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) in 2018, Tito said the Whole-of-Nation Approach gradually defeated the communist insurgency not just in this region but in other parts of the country. He said at least 201 barangays in Davao region have been declared insurgency-free. At present, the military said the region only has one guerilla front with an estimated 14 regular fighters. Prior to Casilao’s capture, Tito said that many of his trusted aides had already returned to the fold of the law. “These surrenderers were a big loss also to the SMRC and they are instrumental in our campaign.” Tito said that investigation is ongoing to find out why Casilao was in Malaysia. The rebel leader is in the custody of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)-Davao region. For former rebel fighter Arian Jane Ramos, Casilao abandoned his comrades to save himself. Ramos, a former secretary of NPA Guerrilla Front 55, thought that Casilao had just sought refuge in regional committees within the country. “He left, thinking only of saving himself, and leaving his comrades to either die of hunger or in armed encounters,” the former NPA cadre said in a statement released by the Army. Sometime in May 2022, the military reported that Casilao left the region and took P6-million cash. It is still not yet clear if Casilao was traveling alone in Malaysia. Hotbed no more As a native of gold-rich Monkayo town in Davao de Oro, Tito recalled that as a teenager, he thought that there would be no end in sight for the communist insurgency in his home province. Long before the creation of NTF-ELCAC, Davao de Oro, which was then known as Compostela Valley province, was a known hotbed of the communist insurgency. Several government soldiers were killed or captured in clashes with the NPA. The NPA had even mounted several broad daylight raids against military outposts. Most notable among the NPA leaders was Leoncio Pitao, alias “Commander Parago,” who led his fighters in several raids and captured several government troopers. Tito recounted that he grew hearing stories of soldiers killed in the counter-insurgency campaign. “If not every day, every week, I would hear news or stories of soldiers killed in an ambush or clashes with the rebels. I thought it would never end,” he recalled. His father Franco was a popular barangay chairman of the gold-rush village of Diwawal on the rugged Diwata mountain range. The Diwata mountain range across Agusan del Sur, Davao de Oro, and Surigao del Sur was used to be a known operational territory of the NPAs. “Now I’m glad that the NTF-ELCAC was created to genuinely address the insurgency problem in our country,” Tito said. CAPTION
POLICE escort NPA leader Eric Jun Casilao upon arrival in Davao City on April 17 after he was deported from Malaysia. (10th ID photo)
Combined Malaysian and Philippine authorities captured Eric Jun Casilao, the secretary of the Communist Party of Philippines-Southern Mindanao Region Committee, in Malaysia on April 1. The military said Casilao had been included in the Malaysian Red Notice List and was nabbed by Malaysian immigration authorities at Jeti Point International Clearance Gate, Langkawi, Malaysia, while boarding a ferry bound for Koh Lipe, Thailand. Malaysian authorities deported Casilao to Manila on April 17 and immediately flown to this city on the same day. The 46-year-old Casilao, who hails from this city, had been the subject of intensified military operations, particularly in Davao de Oro province, in recent years. Casilao, who had a P5.4-million bounty on his head, was tagged behind attacks on troops and government installations in Davao. His capture may have sealed the defeat of the communist movement in the region, Army 10th Infantry Division spokesperson Major Mark Anthony Tito said. Tito added that Casilao's arrest is a big blow to the NPA as it would have an adverse domino effect on the morale of remaining communist fighters. “With his capture, we can say that the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee is totally defeated,” said Tito. Casilao, one of the most wanted rebel leaders in Mindanao, had been the subject of a government manhunt following the death of NPA leaders Alvin Luque in December 2020, Jorge Madlos, alias “Ka Oris” in 2021, and Menandro Villanueva, alias “Bok,” in 2022. Tito said Casilao as SMRC secretary supervised 17 NPA guerilla fronts, six Pulang Bagani Command units, and five sub-regional committees operating in the hinterlands of this city, Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, some parts of Agusan del Sur, Bukidnon, and Cotabato provinces. The military estimated that these guerilla fronts were composed of nearly 800 regular armed fighters. The figure does not include the other paramilitary fighters, Tito said. But with the activation of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) in 2018, Tito said the Whole-of-Nation Approach gradually defeated the communist insurgency not just in this region but in other parts of the country. He said at least 201 barangays in Davao region have been declared insurgency-free. At present, the military said the region only has one guerilla front with an estimated 14 regular fighters. Prior to Casilao’s capture, Tito said that many of his trusted aides had already returned to the fold of the law. “These surrenderers were a big loss also to the SMRC and they are instrumental in our campaign.” Tito said that investigation is ongoing to find out why Casilao was in Malaysia. The rebel leader is in the custody of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)-Davao region. For former rebel fighter Arian Jane Ramos, Casilao abandoned his comrades to save himself. Ramos, a former secretary of NPA Guerrilla Front 55, thought that Casilao had just sought refuge in regional committees within the country. “He left, thinking only of saving himself, and leaving his comrades to either die of hunger or in armed encounters,” the former NPA cadre said in a statement released by the Army. Sometime in May 2022, the military reported that Casilao left the region and took P6-million cash. It is still not yet clear if Casilao was traveling alone in Malaysia. Hotbed no more As a native of gold-rich Monkayo town in Davao de Oro, Tito recalled that as a teenager, he thought that there would be no end in sight for the communist insurgency in his home province. Long before the creation of NTF-ELCAC, Davao de Oro, which was then known as Compostela Valley province, was a known hotbed of the communist insurgency. Several government soldiers were killed or captured in clashes with the NPA. The NPA had even mounted several broad daylight raids against military outposts. Most notable among the NPA leaders was Leoncio Pitao, alias “Commander Parago,” who led his fighters in several raids and captured several government troopers. Tito recounted that he grew hearing stories of soldiers killed in the counter-insurgency campaign. “If not every day, every week, I would hear news or stories of soldiers killed in an ambush or clashes with the rebels. I thought it would never end,” he recalled. His father Franco was a popular barangay chairman of the gold-rush village of Diwawal on the rugged Diwata mountain range. The Diwata mountain range across Agusan del Sur, Davao de Oro, and Surigao del Sur was used to be a known operational territory of the NPAs. “Now I’m glad that the NTF-ELCAC was created to genuinely address the insurgency problem in our country,” Tito said. CAPTION