BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army has suffered consecutive setbacks due to the nonstop efforts of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division in liberating Negros Island from the decades long insurgency, Maj. Gen. Eric Vinoya said yesterday.
Vinoya cited the arrest of eight ranking officials of the Komiteng Rehiyonal-Negros/Cebu/Bohol/Siquijor, excluding two NPA Yunit Militia members, in a series of combined military and police operations in Calatrava, Kabankalan City and in Isabela, Negros Occidental. The operations since last month also yielded several high-powered firearms and explosives.
He lauded the different 3ID Negros-based units for the synchronized efforts in ending the local communist armed conflict in the island, and challenged them to deliver the final decisive blow that will cause the collapse of the NPA guerilla fronts operating in Negros.
Vinoya also recalled that five NPA rebels died in an encounter with the 11th Infantry Battalion and Regional Mobile Force Battalion 7 on June 18 in Brgy Luyang, Mabinay, Negros Oriental.
“Let us continue to carry out our task until the last enemy unit is dissolved and its members neutralized by either surrender, apprehension or, in worst case, dead,” he said.
Despite the threat of Covid-19, Vinoya said that their campaign against local insurgents will be conducted with no letup.
Meanwhile, the NPA Leonardo Panaligan Command has condemned the arrest and alleged planting of evidences against Martin and Demas Lindayao and Wennie Carillo on August 2 in Brgy. San Agustin, Isabela, Negros Occidental.
Ka JB Regalado, spokesperson of the Leonardo Panaligan Command, said that the victims are indigenous peoples, who are plain farmers and laborers.*
