ILOILO City – The 3rd Infantry (Spearhead) Division (3ID) of the Philippine Army neutralized 142 New People’s Army rebels in Panay and Negros islands in 2021.
Data from the 3ID showed 71 rebels surrendered, 49 died in clashes with government forces, and 22 were captured.
Army Captain Kim Apitong, spokesperson of the 3ID, said 12 of the neutralized rebels were top leaders of the NPA. Among them were:
* Reynaldo Bocala alias Russ/Bading, chief of the Regional Finance Bureau of Komiteng Rehiyon-Panay
* Karima Lorena Tariman alias Ella/Emem, secretary of the Northernmost Negros Front, Komiteng Rehiyon-Negros Cebu Bohol Siquijor (NNF, KR-NCBS)
* Marilyn Badayos alias Monet, finance officer of (NNF, KR-NCBS)
* Joven Ceralvo alias Lex, commanding officer of Front Operational Command, and deputy secretary of the Southern Front, Komiteng Rehiyon-Panay
“These accomplishments were the result of the FMOs (Focused Military Operations) of the 3ID coupled with purposive Civil Military Operations and the support of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC),” Apitong said.
For his part, 3ID commander, Major General Benedict Arevalo, attributed the 2021 accomplishments to the vigilance and cooperation of Western and Central Visayas people, as well as the continuous collaboration with the NTF-ELCAC.
He likewise commended all the 3ID troops for their exemplary performance and contribution in winning the fight against the insurgency.
“I’m urging my men to maintain the gains of the division’s peace drive guided by its campaign mantra, ‘Loved by the people, feared by the enemy,’” Arevalo said.
He added: “The government is always open to rebels who want to return to the folds of the law. We urge the rebels to lay down their arms while they still have time.”/PN
