ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Visayas devider Teodoro warns soldier's 'killers'

Teodoro warns soldier's 'killers'

Published Jun 3, 2026 10:53 pm
PRIVATE First Class John Rey Brasil’s wake in Sagay City, Negros Occidental on Wednesday, June 3. (Department of National Defense-Philippines FB)
PRIVATE First Class John Rey Brasil’s wake in Sagay City, Negros Occidental on Wednesday, June 3. (Department of National Defense-Philippines FB)
BACOLOD CITY – Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. vowed that those responsible for the death of a soldier in a recent encounter with the New People's Army (NPA) in Escalante City, Negros Occidental would be held accountable.
"Pananagutan niyo ito (You will pay for this),” Teodoro warned.
In a media interview at the wake of Private First Class John Rey Brasil in Sagay City, Negros Occidental on Wednesday, June 3, Teodoro said rebels had sought refuge in residential areas, putting civilians at risk, and stressed that the incident validated previous warnings from the military about the presence of armed insurgents in communities.
Teodoro challenged supporters of the NPA to examine the circumstances surrounding the soldier’s death.
"Harapin ninyo ang pamilya nito ngayon at sabihin na hindi tama ang sakripisyo ng batang ito. Mag imbestiga kayo ngayon dito (Face the family now and tell them why the young soldier's sacrifice was not right. Conduct an investigation now),” he said.
He maintained that government forces are prepared to answer questions regarding their operations but emphasized that those responsible for armed attacks must also be held accountable.
Teodoro reiterated that the government has repeatedly offered opportunities for rebels to surrender peacefully. However, he said armed groups that continue to resist and threaten communities leave security forces with no choice but to act.
As painful as this incident is, he said this also reminds them why these efforts are necessary. "If we fail to act decisively, these groups could become warlords who threaten peace and security. We cannot allow that to happen," Teodoro said, adding that this could affect peace and development.
Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Eric Alfonso, commander of the 79th Infantry Battalion (IB), said one of the rebels allegedly involved in the encounter was linked to wanted hitman Roger Fabillar Tapang, a leader of the dismantled Northern Negros Front, who was killed in the April 19 clash along with 18 others in Toboso, Negros Occidental.
Alfonso said that the rebel in the Escalante clash is a fugitive with cases of acts of lasciviousness, carnapping, and murder.
Teodoro said the identification further confirmed the legitimacy of the military operation.
Brasil, 29, from Guimbal, Iloilo, was fatally shot in the head while leading troops in an operation in Barangay Tamlang.
His remains will be brought to Murcia, Negros Occidental, the hometown of his 24-year-old wife.

Related Tags

NPA Escalante City DND Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.