TACLOBAN CITY – Major Gen. Camilo Ligayo, commander of the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division, belied the Communist Party of the Philippines' (CPP) claims that couple Benito and Wilma Tiamzon, along with eight other members of the CPP’s Central Committee, were abducted and tortured before they were killed.
"From what I know, there was an encounter with these terrorists, with these fugitives with 15 cases of murder and they have been convicted," said Ligayo.
In a statement released by the CPP on April 20, it claimed that its party leaders Benito Tiamzon (Ka Laan) and Wilma Austria-Tiamzon (Ka Bagong-tao), together with eight other revolutionaries, were traveling with Ka Divino (Joel Arceo), a sub-regional secretary in Eastern Visayas, along with Ka Yen, Ka Jaja, Ka Matt, Ka Ash, Ka Delfin, Ka Lupe, and Ka Butig, also called the “Catbalogan 10,” were captured in Samar province on Aug. 21, 2022.
They reportedly all belonged to the guerrilla force of the central headquarters, and at that time, Benito, 71, was the chairman of the CPP Executive Committee, while Ka Wilma, 70, was the CPP's secretary general.
Its political bureau said the Tiamzons were traveling on two separate vans along the national highway eastward toward Catbalogan City.
"They were flagged down between 12 noon and 1 in the afternoon, after which all communications with the group were lost. They were unarmed."
It further claimed that the couple suffered a severe beating at the hands of the authorities.
It likewise refuted the report of the Armed Forces of the Philippines suggesting that the Tiamzons were killed when their boat exploded while engaging in a firefight with forces of the Joint Task Force Storm, the 8th Infantry Division, and the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Trident on Aug. 22, 2022, in Catbalogan City.
The CPP argued that their lifeless bodies were dumped with explosives on a motorboat which was towed to the middle of the sea before detonating somewhere between Catbalogan and Taranganan Island during the supposed encounter.
On the other hand, Ligayo stressed that they have been arrested before and were treated well.
"It was an encounter. Remember that they are fugitives. Of course, they are fond of propaganda. They returned to the mountains and fought against the government so this is what happened to them," Ligayo said.
He expressed confidence that with only a few minor leaders in the communist terrorist group, the two remaining guerilla fronts will be dismantled by the end of the year.
Lastly, Ligayo maintained that the Tiamzons were not heroes but convicted murderers.
"They are terrorists, they are fugitives, and they have destroyed many lives of children, military, and civilians. Development has also been hampered here for 52 years."