Viscom claims NPA now leaderless in Central, Western Visayas

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Visayas Command, said the death of an alleged high-ranking leader of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Negros Occidental, is a “crushing” defeat to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA-National Democratic Front (NDF), as this will clearly manifest the decimation of the group in the Visayas region.

Rogelio Posadas, alias “Poten,” an alleged secretary of NPA’s Regional Committee in Central Visayas, was killed in a 10-minute firefight with the Army’s 62nd Infantry Battalion (IB) and 94th IB at Sitio Cabite, Barangay Santol, Binalbagan town on April 20.

Lieutenant General Benedict Arevalo, commander of AFP Visayas Command said in a statement that with Posadas’s death, the CPP-NPA-NDF in Western and Central Visayas are now leaderless, with no clear operational direction on the ground.

Arevalo said that this will further contribute to the leadership vacuum that the NPA organization continues to suffer. “This will send a strong message to their already demoralized ranks that they have no safe haven to hide, and that the government forces continue to gain grounds on them,” he added.

Arevalo said the NPA can never run away from the atrocities that they have committed against the country and the people.

According to the Army, Posadas was an alleged notorious leader, who reportedly orchestrated numerous criminal activities in Western and Central Visayas. He has an arrest warrant for murder issued by the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 60 in Cadiz City.

Among these atrocities were the attack in Barangay Salamanca Toboso town, and the attack and bombing of Takenaka Itochu Joint Ventures and Hanjin Corporation at the Bacolod-Silay International Airport in Silay City both in Negros Occidental in 2006.

He was also tagged in the burning of Central Lopez and Victorias Milling Company (VMC) transloading in Toboso town in 2008 and 2010, the ambush of a civilian-loaded canter utility service vehicle, killing three civilians and wounding three others, the bombing of Globe Cellsite in Toboso town in 2009, and the and sabotage of VMC pump station in Victorias City, Negros Occidental in 2010, the Army said.

On April 20, 2023, the Army figured in series of encounters with the group of Posadas in central Negros, particularly in Isabela and Binalbagan towns.

Military troopers seized from the encounter sites two pistols, several magazines and ammunition, two blasting caps, one backpack, personal belongings, assorted medicines, and subversive documents, including extortion letters.

Meanwhile, the 3rd Infantry Division (ID) commended the troopers for their successful combat operations, resulting in the death of a notorious NPA top leader in the Visayas.

The Army also thanked the local populace in the area for giving timely information on the locations of the NPA rebels, thus preventing their alleged extortion activities.