ILOILO CITY – Three top leaders of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Panay, including the consultant of the National Democratic Front (NDF), were killed during a series of encounters in the mountainous villages of Iloilo.
In a statement Friday, the 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs Office (3DPAO) identified the slain rebels as Vicente Hinojales, regional secretary of Komiteng Rehiyon-Panay (KR-P) and known by the aliases Arjie, Hadjie, Mandi and LJ; Maria Concepcion Araneta Bocala, 1st deputy secretary, KR-P, also known as Concha; and Vivian Torato Teodosio, secretary of the central front, KR-Panay with aliases Minerva/Mara/Moray.
Bocala, from Barangay Pueblo in Iloilo City’s Manduriao district, had a PHP5.3 million bounty on her head for murder.
Police arrested her in August 2015 in Molo district. She was released in 2016 to participate in the peace talks in Norway.
“However, when former President Rodrigo Duterte suspended the peace talks in February 2017, Concha jumped bail,” the statement said.
Concha and Teodosio were killed following a 10-minute firefight with troops from the 82nd Infantry Battalion in Barangay Cabatangan, Lambunao on Thursday.
Found in the encounter site were five high-powered firearms, including three M16 Rifles, one M79 grenade launcher, and one Visor, along with one shotgun and various war materiel, personal belongings, and subversive documents.
The clash happened while the troops were scouring the area after they found Hinojales abandoned and already in a state of decomposition at Sitio Igdagmay of the same village around noontime of the same day.
3DPAO chief, Lt. Col. J-Jay Javines, said in an interview that Hinojales may have been part of the group that clashed with government troops in Barangay Cabatangan on Aug. 7 or in Barangay Aglonok in adjacent Calinog town on Aug. 5 and 8.
He was from Barangay Linao, Matalam, North Cotabato and the former secretary of Guerilla Front 14 in Mindanao before his transfer to Panay Island in 2017, the military statement added.
He had warrants of arrest for a string of criminal cases in Agusan del Sur, including destructive arson, two counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention.
He was tagged as responsible for the raid of the local police station and the ambush of the Philippine National Police vehicle in Maasin town in June and November 2017, respectively.
He was also responsible for the burning of heavy equipment in Dumalag, Capiz and Sibalom, Antique in April 2018 and November 2019; the ambush of the 3rd Infantry Division troops in Madalag, Aklan in April 2020 that killed PFC Mark Nemis; and the killing of Corporal Villasis in Barangay Lahug, Tapaz in August 2021; among others, the army said.
The Glock 17 9mm pistol of Villasis, the team leader of the Community Support Program of the 12th Infantry Battalion, was recovered from Hinojales.
The identities of the three were confirmed by former rebels.
Their deaths raised to 10 the total fatalities on the side of the terrorist group following the series of encounters since last week. (PNA)
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