3 ‘top NPA leaders’ in Panay killed in clashes with Army

FALLEN The Philippine Army on Sunday releases these photos of the three alleged New People’s Army leaders killed in clashes with soldiers in Iloilo last week. —Philippine Army Spearhead Troopers photo

ILOILO CITY, Philippines —Three alleged top leaders of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Panay were killed in a series of military operations in the mountain village of Cabatangan in Lambunao town, Iloilo, on Aug. 15, the Philippine Army reported on Sunday.

The Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (3ID), in a statement, said the communist insurgents operating on Panay were “dealt a significant blow” with the deaths of Vicente Hinojales, regional secretary of Komiteng Rehiyon-Panay (KR-P); Maria Concepcion Araneta Bocala, alias “Ka Concha,” the group’s first deputy secretary and a peace negotiator in talks held in Norway; and Vivian Torato Teodosio, alias “Muray” or “Minerva,” secretary of the central front of KR-P.

“This is a major development in our efforts to dismantle the NPA’s presence in Panay,” said Lt. Col. J-Jay Javines, 3ID spokesperson.

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He added: “The deaths of Hinojales, Bocala and Teodosio are a clear message that the government will continue its relentless pursuit of those who seek to sow terror in our communities.”

The deaths of the three alleged communist rebels were confirmed by their former colleagues who had surrendered to the government, according to the Army.

Decomposing

Authorities seized during the clashes five high-powered firearms, including M16 rifles, a grenade launcher and various alleged to be subversive documents.

The 3ID said the presence of government troops in Barangay Cabatangan in Lambunao town was initially prompted by the discovery of Hinojales’ decomposing body on Aug. 15 in the village.

Hinojales, a native of North Cotabato who transferred to Panay in 2017, was believed to be part of the group that clashed with soldiers in previous encounters in Barangay Cabatangan on Aug. 7, and in Barangay Aglonok in the adjacent town of Calinog on Aug. 5 and Aug. 8.

Javines said Hinojales was wanted for a string of criminal cases in Agusan del Sur, including arson, kidnapping and serious illegal detention.

He was also linked to the 2017 raid of a local police station and the ambush of a police vehicle in Maasin town of Iloilo.

Javines said the soldiers recovered from Hinojales a Glock 17 9 mm pistol which belonged to a policeman who was killed in a 2021 ambush in Tapaz, Capiz.

Peace negotiator

After finding Hinojales body, the military said their troops engaged other communist rebels in Barangay Cabatangan also on Aug. 15, which led to the death of Bocala and Teodosio.

Bocala and Teodosio were killed during a 10-minute firefight with troops from the 82nd Infantry Battalion, the 3ID said.

The Army said Bocala had a P5.3-million bounty on her head for murder and was a prominent figure in the NPA who was arrested in 2015 in Iloilo City but released in 2016 to participate in the peace talks between the government and the National Democratic Front-Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA in Norway.

When the peace talks were suspended in February 2017 by then President Rodrigo Duterte, she went underground but did not attend the court hearings for her case, for which she had posted bail.

Bocala was a resident of Barangay Pueblo, Mandurriao, Iloilo City. Her husband was Reynaldo Bocala, the head of the communist movement’s regional finance bureau on Panay Island, who was killed in a firefight with the military in 2021, according to Javines.

Javines said the deaths of the three NPA leaders, along with seven other rebels since the start of August this year, signal a significant weakening of the NPA’s operational capacity in Panay.

Recovery operation

“As the military continues its operations, the loss of these key figures is expected to disrupt the NPA’s activities and recruitment efforts in the region,” he said.

Javines on Sunday said an operation underway to recover their bodies had been hampered by bad weather.

“We made available our choppers to airlift the bodies after the encounter, [but] the inclement weather, along with thick clouds and possible presence of armed elements in the designated pickup zone, prevented us to proceed with the plan. Nonetheless, our troops carried the said cadavers by foot to the nearest accessible road which took them at least three days to trek,” said Javines.

He said the soldiers who were sent to recover the bodies “crossed steep slopes and slippery terrain and put themselves at risks and health hazards,” as one of the bodies was already in the advanced stages of decomposition, just to bring the cadavers down for proper handover to the local municipality and police.

The families of the slain NPAs were being constantly provided with updates, Javines added.

“We will bring the cadavers down and turnover them to their families the soonest possible time,” he assured.