NPA claims Calatrava killings amid Negros clashes

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — The Roselyn Jean Pelle Command-New People’s Army has claimed responsibility for the killing of two farmers in Calatrava, Negros Occidental, this month.

In a statement, Ka Cecil Estrella, the rebel group’s spokesperson, said they sanctioned Jemar, 53, in Barangay Dolis on May 5 over the alleged death of his sibling, as well as alleged threats and harassment.

This was followed by another attack on May 13 that killed Gerry, 53, in Barangay Minautok for allegedly being a military asset.

The group said the actions were contrary to the military’s claim that it had been dismantled.

The attacks happened barely a month after the Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion clashed with suspected NPA rebels in Barangay Salamanca, Toboso, leaving 19 individuals dead.

The NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, has waged one of Asia’s longest-running insurgencies since 1969 and is designated by the Philippine government as a terrorist organization.

Meanwhile, an alleged NPA rebel voluntarily surrendered to police in Barangay Panciao, Manjuyod, Negros Oriental, on Monday.

The rebel returnee turned over a .45-caliber pistol, a magazine, and four live rounds of ammunition for the firearm to personnel of the 1st Maneuver Platoon, 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company.

The Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region considered the surrender a significant breakthrough in its intensified campaign against insurgency, especially after a series of recent clashes in Toboso and Cauayan towns that left 24 suspected rebels dead.

The government created the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict under Executive Order No. 70 in 2018 to institutionalize a whole-of-nation approach to ending local communist armed conflict.

Authorities called on the remaining NPA members to abandon the armed struggle, lay down their weapons, and embrace the path of peace and reconciliation, assuring them that the government remains committed to helping them rebuild their lives through lawful and peaceful means.

The PRO-NIR expressed its commitment to sustaining aggressive yet compassionate peace and security initiatives aimed at ending local communist armed conflict, strengthening community partnerships, and fostering lasting peace and development across the region.