Two alleged communist leaders died while a soldier was injured in an armed encounter between the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) Visayas Command (VisCom) and New People’s Army (NPA) in Pambujan, Northern Samar on Saturday, July 22.
Lt. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, commander of VISCOM, identified the fatalities as Jerry Lutao alias “Nadi” and Brando Oblado alias “Idol”.
Lutao was the alleged head of the Front Operation Command (FOC) and Sandatahang Yunit Propaganda (SYP) while Oblado was the pinpointed leader of Squad 2, both of which are under Front Committee 1 of Sub Regional Committee (SRC) Emporium of the Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee (EVRPC).
Meanwhile, the unnamed soldier was immediately evacuated to the nearest hospital for treatment and is now in stable condition.
A report from VisCom said combined elements of the 4th Scout Ranger Battalion and 19th Infantry Battalion under the 803rd Infantry Brigade of Joint Task Force (JTF) Storm were conducting a focused military operation in Brgy. Cagbigajo when they encountered several armed men.
A firefight erupted between the military and the NPA which lasted for 20 minutes. After the gunbattle, troops discovered the bodies of the two men along with two M16 rifles, an M14 rifle, personal belongings and documents.
Arevalo lauded the troops for their “unyielding efforts and resolute response to the call of the people to end the local communist armed conflict in the Visayas region the soonest possible time.”
“The death of these two NPA Leaders will further contribute to the leadership vacuum that continues to plague the terrorist group, having lost several of its leaders in the previous operations. This will also have a degrading effect on the morale of its few remaining members and will definitely speed up their imminent defeat in the region,” he said.
The encounter is the fourth setback suffered by the NPA in six days, according to Arevalo.
He said that from July 17 to 22, a total of 5 NPA fighters have died in military operations conducted by VisCom in its areas of responsibility.
Despite this, the military officer reiterated his call to the remnants of the communist group to return to the folds of the law.
“We abhor the idea of bloodshed and as much as possible, we do not want to see another Filipino dying for the sake of false ideology. Follow the lead of your former comrades who are now living a peaceful and progressive lives under the care of our government. Lay down your arms and return to the folds of the law while you still can,” Arevalo said.