No safe place to hide for NPAs, says DILG on killing of 3 NPA leaders

December 21, 2019

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Saturday that communist terrorist groups (CTGs) have “no place to hide” after two high-ranking leaders of the New People’s Army (NPA) were killed after a shoot-out with joint police and military units in Quezon City last Thursday afternoon.

“As I promised, we will get you first even before you get near us. There is no safe place for you in Metro Manila and in any urban center around the country,” said DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año who was reportedly in a hit list of the NPA Special Partisan unit along with National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Gen. Antonio Parlade, and even President Rodrigo Duterte.

He advised the Maoist members to just surrender before it would be late.

Killed during the gunfight after government forces tried to serve arrest warrants were Eleuterio Agmaliw alias Nick or Omeng (destructive arson, murder, frustrated murder, and rebellion) and Freddie Daileg alias Poldo (rebellion) in their safe house in Barangay Nagkaisang Nayon in Novaliches, Quezon City.

Agmaliw is an active member of the NPA Central Luzon Revolutionary Committee, a former deputy secretary of Northeastern Provincial Committee, and a commanding officer of Kilusang Larangan Guerrilla (KLG) Sierra Madre and KLG Caraballo which was responsible for extortion, IED explosion, and arson activities and even the ambush of a police patrol car.

Meanwhile, Daileg was also a member of the Central Luzon Revolutionary Committee, deputy secretary of the Larangan Guerrilla Platoon 1, and had previously operated in Nueva Ecija.

Also killed in the encounter was Lucio Carbonel, the owner of the safe house and the NPA liaison in Metro Manila.

“These NPA leaders are part of the special teams directed by the CPP leadership to assassinate senior government officials that include the President. But we got to them first and we will not stop until every one of them is arrested and brought before the bar of justice,” he said.

He said that special composite teams have been deployed to hunt down the NPA Special Partisan Units ordered by the CPP to conduct assassinations of government figures ahead of the NPA’s anniversary on Dec 26.

Police recovered an M16 rifle, a caliber 38-revolver, a caliber 45-pistol, and an MK2 hand grenade from the crime scene. Three other persons who were in the safe house during the operation, were arrested and brought to the Novaliches Police Station to face charges for obstruction of justice and harboring wanted persons.

The DILG Secretary also commended the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) “for their hard work and perseverance in going after and crushing the enemies of the state and of democracy.”

He also directed the PNP to provide the necessary assistance to the two members of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team who were wounded during the shootout. DMS