5 alleged NPA rebels killed in Cauayan clashes, Army says

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — Two alleged high-ranking leaders of the New People’s Army (NPA) were among five people killed in a series of encounters with the Philippine Army’s 15th Infantry Battalion (IB) in Barangays Abaca and Poblacion, Cauayan, Negros Occidental, on Saturday.

Brig. Gen. Jason Jumawan, commander of the 302nd Infantry Brigade, identified the slain as Rolando Dantes, Jobert Casipong, Gilbert Tingson, Alex Languita, and Vince Francis Dingding.

Jumawan said the Army considered Dantes a hitman and commander of the dismantled South West Front (SWF-D), and described him as responsible for the killings of civilians in Cauayan, Kabankalan City, and Sipalay City in Negros Occidental.

He added that, based on police records, Dantes had multiple arrest warrants for murder and multiple murder.

Jumawan said Dantes was behind the killings of a barangay official in Cauayan and of an elderly woman in Kabankalan City last year.

The group has reportedly killed about 26 people since February last year, including in parts of Negros Oriental, according to Jumawan.

“This is justice for the families of those civilians tagged as assets or spies and killed,” Jumawan said.

Jumawan said Dingding was the group’s alleged political instructor.

He said the bodies of those killed have yet to be claimed by their families and are now under police custody at a funeral home in Barangay Poblacion.

Jumawan said the Army identified the dead through another alleged rebel who was severely wounded in the clash and is recovering in a hospital.

The wounded rebel was given first aid by the troops and transported to the hospital for further treatment, he said.

The first clash erupted at 5:30 a.m. in Barangay Abaca, when soldiers responded to a report on the alleged presence of armed men in the area.

Jumawan said the armed group fired first at the troops, resulting in a firefight.

“It was a running gun battle, as the troops pursued the armed men,” he added.

Jumawan said the Army intended to pressure the group into surrendering, but the armed men continued firing, leading to a series of clashes at 7 a.m. and 2 p.m.

The deadly clash took place in Barangay Poblacion, Cauayan, at 5 p.m., as troops pursued the remnants of the SWF.

Jumawan said the afternoon firefight lasted about 30 minutes and that, despite being told to surrender, the armed group continued firing at the soldiers.

“It is unfortunate that fellow Filipinos have died, but our mission is to protect the communities from the threat,” he added.

It was the second encounter between the 15th IB and suspected NPA rebels in Cauayan this month, Jumawan said.

Recovered from the encounter site were an M14 rifle, a grenade, an M60 machine gun, four M16 rifles, an M203 grenade launcher, and personal belongings.

Jumawan said the incident showed the dwindling support of residents for the NPA, since people themselves reported the rebels’ presence in the area.

“They are tired to be scared,” he added.

Jumawan acknowledged that remnants of the group could still be at large but said the incident would further weaken it, and urged the remaining rebels to surrender.

“It’s okay to protest, to make their issues known, but don’t carry firearms and use it against the government and the people. Mali po iyon (that is wrong),” Jumawan said.

He said the remaining rebels should think twice.

“We are saddened about what happened but our mission and focus is to ensure the safety of the community. Walang patutunguhan ito, matatalo lang talaga sila (This is going nowhere; they will only lose in the end),” he added.

In his message, Maj. Gen. Michael Samson, commander of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (3ID), said the killing of the five alleged NPA rebels was a significant setback for the group’s remnants.

He said the tip-off from local residents reflected the growing trust and confidence of the community in the Army.

Samson said the Army would sustain intensified focused military operations to prevent the fleeing rebels from regrouping and to thwart any attempt to disrupt the lives of civilians in the area.

The 3ID called on the remaining NPA members to abandon the armed struggle, surrender peacefully, and avail themselves of the government’s programs for their safe return to mainstream society.

Sixty-four families, or 168 people, have been displaced by the armed clashes in the two villages, Jumawan said.

The local government has extended assistance to the affected families, who were allowed to return home the following day after the encounter sites were cleared.

The clashes came weeks after a separate operation by the 79th Infantry Battalion in Barangay Salamanca, Toboso, Negros Occidental, on April 19, which the Army said killed 19 NPA rebels.

A National Fact-Finding and Solidarity Mission led by Karapatan and Manindigan Negros, however, identified nine of those 19 as civilians, cited possible violations of international humanitarian law, and challenged the military’s account in findings presented in Bacolod City on May 15.

Separately, the 3ID reported that residents of Barangay Salamanca, Toboso, staged a peace rally a month after the April 19 incident denouncing what the 3ID called the atrocities of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF).

The rally, led by chairman Romeo Sultan, rejected the presence of outside groups in the village without proper coordination and legitimate authority, the 3ID said.

According to the 3ID, the gathering was a symbol of resistance against armed violence and a demand for justice for civilians victimized by the NPA in Negros Island.

The 3ID said participants called for peace, unity, and sustained development.

The CPP-NPA was founded in 1969 and was designated a terrorist organization by the Anti-Terrorism Council in 2017. Formal peace negotiations between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines have been stalled since 2019.