A GUNBATTLE between government troops and rebels has led to the capture of a ranking Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) leader in the hinterlands of Calatrava town, Negros Occidental on Wednesday afternoon.
Arrested was Isabelle Necesario, 41, who goes by aliases “Maoline”, “Nad”, “Diane” and “Idel”, the deputy secretary of the NPA’s Northern Negros Front (NNF).
Lt. Col. J-jay Javines, commanding officer of the 79th Infantry Battalion (IB), said on Thursday the clash indicates the efforts of the remnants of the NNF to regain support and recruit more members.
“Thus, we will continue to advance our efforts in making the CPP-NPA vanish in northern Negros,” Javines said.
Necesario, a resident of Sitio Canipaan, Barangay Banquerohan in Cadiz City, is now in the custody of the Calatrava Municipal Police Station.
The NNF has already been declared dismantled by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police in April last year, and those who had figured in clashes with government troops are considered remnants of the dismantled front.
After the clash on Wednesday, troops recovered two rifle grenades, two .38-caliber pistols with seven rounds of live ammunition, and one .45- caliber pistol with five rounds of live ammunition.
They also found five USB flash drives, seven basic and one touchscreen mobile phones, three pocket wi-fi units, three civilian bags containing personal belongings, a hammock, assorted medicines, food items, subversive documents, and PHP3,740 cash, among others.
Javines said villagers provided information to the troops regarding the presence of the NPA rebels, prompting his men to immediately respond and engage them.
The encounter in Sitio Banwa Minatay, Barangay Marcelo on Wednesday was the second incident in Calatrava in two weeks after the 79IB troops also clashed with and raided the rebels’ hideout in Sitio Tinibyangan, Barangay Minapasuk on June 22.
On April 17, 2019, troops neutralized three NPA guerrillas and seized eight high-powered firearms and several grenades also in Barangay Marcelo.
The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
The National Democratic Front (NDF) has been formally designated as a terrorist organization by the Anti-Terrorism Council on June 23, 2021, citing it as “an integral and inseparable part” of the CPP-NPA created in April 1973. (Nanette Guadalquiver)
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