ILOILO City – The New People’s Army (NPA) in Western Visayas further weakened with the neutralization of 39 rebels which included eight top leaders, according to the 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) of the Philippine Army.
Captain Kim Apitong, spokesperson of the 3ID, said that for the month of April, they had 22 encounters with the NPA in Panay Island and Negros Occidental, and these resulted to the neutralization of 39 rebels.
Of the 39, eight were top leaders of which four were finance officers.
“Marami tayong operations a month before the May 2022 elections para mapiligilan natin ang kanilang extortion activities sa mga kandidato. Kung na-notice natin, wala ng rallies, protests, and no burning of construction equipment,” Apitong said.
On June 10, four rebels surrendered through the intensive and persistent Focused Military Operations (FMO).
Last month, a 21-year-old alias Andrew and a 33-year-old alias Samson alias, both members of Squad 2, Baloy Platoon, Central Front, Komiteng Rehiyon-Panay also surrendered to the troops of the 82nd Infantry ( Bantay-Laya) Battalion based in Dingle, Iloilo town.
They surrendered one .38 revolver and a fragmentary hand grenade./PN
