SAN JOSE, Antique – Seven suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels were killed in a firefight with policemen and soldiers at an abandoned village church in Purok 7, Barangay Atabay here around 12:10 a.m. yesterday. The firefight lasted for over 30 minutes.
The authorities intended to serve an arrest warrant to Joven “Ka Lex” Ceralvo and Jason “Ka Bebe” Talibo for frustrated murder but they were met with fierce resistance, said Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao, regional police director.
Ceralvo and Talibo belonged to the “taxation group” of the NPA’s Komiteng Rehiyon Panay, said Bulalacao.
Extortion letters, a sub-machinegun among other firearms, explosives, mobile phones, laptops, and tablet computers were recovered.
“These are proof that the rebels engage in criminal activities,” said Bulalacao.
Ceralvo and several companions were able to escape but Talibo and six others died in the clash.
Talibo, a 27-year-old resident of Barangay Indayon, Igbaras, Iloilo, was the finance officer of the Southern Front of the NPA’s Komiteng Rehiyon Panay, according to the police director.
The police and military have been monitoring the group for the past three weeks.
“They were plotting more extortion activities in San Jose,” said Bulalacao.
Aside from Talibo, the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) identified the five other casualties:
* Jason Sanchez of Barangay Igtuble, Tubungan, Iloilo
* Liezel “Ka Mayang” Badiola of Nabas, Aklan
* Karen “Ka Liway” Ceralvo, 41, of Kalibo, Aklan
* Felix Salditos, 60, of Ilog, Negros Occidental
* Rene Yap, 60, of Barangay Poblacion, Leganes, Iloilo
One dead rebel remained unidentified as of this writing.
“We will not allow the NPA to engage in extortion activities under the guise of collecting revolutionary taxes,” said Bulalacao.
Sanchez was said to be the owner of the lot where the abandoned church stood and also the assistant finance officer of the NPA’s Komiteng Rehiyon Panay’s taxation group.
Badiola was believed to be a “cultural staff” of the group while Karen Ceralvo, the “educational functional staff.”
The authorities also recovered automated teller machine cards and cash (P34,601). These and the other recoveries were taken to the San Jose police station.
“The Philippine National Police will use all its resources to defend communities, particularly remote municipalities, and business owners who are continuously being victimized through extortion by this group,” said Bulalacao.
The units that operated against the rebels were the San Jose police station, Antique Provincial Mobile Force Company and the Philippine Army’s 301st Brigade Intelligence Task Group. None of their operatives died or were injured.
Wary of retaliatory attacks from the NPA, Bulalacao ordered all police stations in the region to beef up their security./PN
Congratulations to all PNP Region-6 for the job will done….Keep it up…Pls.Gen.Bulalacao clear all that activities in region 6.most especially Antique province.Remove the bad eggs…terroristic acts…God bless you all…