Army says NPA fighters in Northern Mindanao ‘down to 16’

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The New People’s Army’s (NPA) North Central Mindanao Regional Committee (NCMRC) has been reduced to just 16 armed guerrillas, the military said, signaling what could be the government’s final push to end the communist insurgency in the region.

In an interview on Thursday afternoon, Lieutenant Col. Joe Patrick Martinez, the Army’s 4th Infantry Division (4ID) spokesman, said their troops are conducting pursuit operations on the remaining insurgents, including regional secretary Julia “Ka Reda” Cagadas.

He said that Cagadas carries a P5.3-million reward for her capture.

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READ: Five NPA rebels surrender in Masbate

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At the height of the armed conflict, the NCMRC operated across the hinterlands of Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, and Agusan del Sur, all within the Pantaron mountain range.

“They numbered in the thousands before. A single guerrilla front could have 35 to as much as 63 combatants, excluding their ‘Milisya ng Bayan’ force multipliers,” Martinez told the Inquirer.

He added: “With their recent encounters with government troops, they have been reduced to an oversized squad. They cannot even form a single platoon.”

On June 20, the 1st Special Forces Battalion engaged the NCMRC’s Headquarters Force NEO in Sitio Tagiptip, Barangay Iba in Cabanglasan, killing team leader Edward “Wando” Pantandon.

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The fleeing insurgents retreated to Sitio Nalumosan, Barangay Silae in Malaybalay City. There, troops from the 8th and 88th Infantry Battalions intercepted the unit in a brief but intense 15-minut firefights that resulted in the death of Romeo “Kakoy” Manpinsahan.

Martinez pointed out that with the deaths of Pantandon and Manpinsahan this month, along with the death of Boniface “Tado” Luntawan earlier this year, Cagadas is left with only 15 followers roaming the borders of Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon.

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The guerrillas’ movements were compromised after residents in contiguous communities tipped off the military, according to him.

He added that the remnants can “no longer seek refuge” in Agusan del Sur through the Pantaron mountain range, as the province has formally declare the Maoist fighters “undesirable.” The 4ID is currently conducting pursuit operations along the Misamis Oriental-Bukidnon boundary.

4ID Commander Maj. Gen. Marion Angcao has been visiting various command posts to boost morale and oversee the operations.

“He is making sure that we are all moving in one direction to fast-track the end of the insurgency in Northern Mindanao,” Martinez said.

The division aims to completely dismantle the remaining guerrillas “in the coming weeks.”

“We are hoping to liberate the people in the hinterlands of Northern Mindanao from the remaining communist-led NPA before the end of the term of the chief of staff,” Martinez said.

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Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. is scheduled to end his tour of duty this July. /mr