Alleged NPA leader slain in Northern Samar clash

TACLOBAN CITY –– An alleged rebel leader was killed in an encounter with government troops in Catarman town, Northern Samar about 5:50 a.m. on Tuesday, May 27.

Allan Aguinaldo, the secretary-general of the Sangay ng Partido sa Platon of the New People’s Army, which operates in several towns in the province, was gunned down during the 10-minute firefight in Barangay New Rizal, about 5 km away from the town center of Catarman, a military official said.

Captain Ronald Aljas, civil-military operations officer of the 803rd Infantry Brigade based in Catarman, said the government troops went to the area to verify information about the presence of five armed men, which turned out to be the group of Aguinaldo.

“This led to an encounter which resulted in the death of Aguinaldo,” he said in a phone interview. Aguinaldo’s companions, he said, managed to escape.

Alas considered Aguinaldo’s death a victory in the government’s battle against members of the NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

“For us, his death is a victory considering that he was a high-ranking rebel leader,” he said.

A .45-caliber gun was recovered by soldiers belonging to the 43rd Infantry Battalion led by Lt. Col. Raymundo Picut, Jr. Aguinaldo’s body was brought to a funeral home in Catarman.

“We will just wait until today for his relatives to claim the body. Otherwise, we will bury him,” Aljas said.