Soldiers capture alleged NPA member in Batangas

April 30, 2019

Soldiers captured a woman who is an alleged New People’s Army (NPA) member while one soldier was wounded in a 20-minute encounter in Batangas on Monday morning.

Capt. Patrick Jay Retumban, spokesman of the 2nd Infantry Division, said the encounter happened at the vicinity of Sitio Maquitib, Brgy Quipot, San Juan, Batangas at 6:30 am.

“The military believes that the captured female NPA member is the wife of alias Jethro, leader of the NPA remnants in Batangas,” he said.

“She will undergo custodial debriefing while appropriate charges are being prepared to be filed in court,” he added.

Retumban said the wounded soldier has been evacuated and is on stable condition. Retumban noted that the military believes there were other terrorists who died in the firefight.

He said the government forces also recovered one M-653 rifle, one caliber .45 pistol, improvised explosive device, assorted ammunition and other war materiel as well as enemy documents with high intelligence value.

Retumban said according to Brigadier General Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr, Commander of the 202nd Infantry Brigade, the encounter pre-empted an atrocity in the Calabarzon which the NPAs are planning to conduct on May 1.

“The encounter shows that your soldiers are on top of the security situation in Calabarzon and that we are always one step ahead of the enemies-of-the-state” he said.

Lt. Col. Jonathan Manio, commander of 1st Infantry Battalion, said the operation was made following reports a group of rebels “will conduct atrocity in Batangas as part of the left’s nationwide coordinated anti-government actions” to commemorate Labor Day.

“Additional forces have been deployed to pursue the fleeing terrorists who have been on the run trying to escape the long arms of the law,” he said. Robina Asido/DMS