NPA leader slain in clash with soldiers in Agusan del Sur
MALAYBALAY CITY—The military has declared a major victory in its anti-insurgency campaign in Mindanao after a top New People’s Army (NPA) leader was slain in a clash in the border of Agusan del Sur and Bukidnon provinces.
On Sunday, soldiers from the Army’s 8th Infantry Battalion (8IB) killed Bonifacio Lutawan, vice commander of the NPA’s North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC), during a series of encounters at Sitio Tacocom, Barangay Kasapa II in La Paz town, Agusan del Sur.
Lt. Col. Jeorge Jallorina, 8IB commanding officer, said the 50-year-old Lutawan, alias “Tado,” was killed in a second encounter as he led his group in an attempt to break away from encircling soldiers.
“We have reason to believe that Tado sacrificed himself to allow his followers to escape,” Jallorina said.
Maj. Gen. Michele Anayron, commander of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, said that with Lutawan gone, the leadership of the communist guerrillas in Northern Mindanao and Caraga regions now rests on two senior leaders that, in total, command some 52 armed fighters.
Anayron said operations were now focused on capturing these two remaining top commanders—Edilberto Daval, who heads the NEMRC, and Julia Cagadas, who leads the NPA’s North Central Mindanao Regional Committee.
Daval, also known as “Bongwaco,” carries a P5.1-million reward for his capture, while Cagadas, alias “Rhedda,” has a P5.3-million bounty.
The slain Lutawan had a P4.75-million bounty for his capture.
Anayron said Bongwaco leads one of the last remaining groups of about 25 armed fighters in the Caraga region, while Cagadas reportedly commands 27 fighters operating along the boundary of Bukidnon and Agusan del Sur.
Active guerrilla zone
“These two are the ones left after our operations diminished their ranks. If we get these two, we will see the collapse of the NPA presence in Caraga, Bukidnon, and Misamis Oriental,” Anayron said.
Northeastern Mindanao hosts one of the few remaining active NPA guerrilla zones in the country. Some 15 years ago, it hosted more than half of the total forces of the Maoist rebels.
Last month, with the deadline for national amnesty applications closing in, some 92 former rebels in Davao del Norte surrendered to the Army in Talaingod town. Most of them belonged to the NPA’s Southern Mindanao Regional Committee.
This comes as the National Amnesty Commission urged former rebels to beat the deadline of March 31 this year to apply for amnesty.
Maj. Ruben Gadut, spokesperson for the Army’s 10ID, told the Inquirer the former NPA rebels turned over 29 firearms.
Maj. Gen. Alvin Luzon, 10th Infantry Division commander, welcomed the group not as captives, but as “partners in development.” —WITH A REPORT FROM CONG CORRALES
