Soldiers retrieve bodies of 3 slain NPA leaders in Iloilo

INQUIRER FILES

ILOILO CITY — Authorities have recovered the bodies of the three alleged leaders of the New People’s Army (NPA) who were killed in a series of military operations in Lambunao town, Iloilo last week.

The remains of Maria Concepcion Araneta-Bocala, Rewilmar “Vivian” Torato Teodosio, and Vicente Hinojales were airlifted by an S-70i Black Hawk helicopter from the mountain village of Cabatangan in Lambunao town, Iloilo on Monday, Aug. 19.

According to Brigadier General Michael Samson, commander of the 301st Infantry Brigade, it took three days for government troops to take the three bodies due to the bad weather and rugged terrain in Lambunao.

“The weather was so unfavorable that it was difficult for the helicopter to land safely,” Samson said in a statement.

He said soldiers had to carry the bodies, one of which was already in an advanced state of decomposition, using an improvised hammock.

They trekked through slippery slopes and steep hills for three days before reaching Sitio Igdagmay, Barangay Cabatangan, Lambunao town where a helicopter was waiting to transport the bodies to Lambunao town proper.

Hinojales was tagged by the Army as the regional secretary of Komiteng Rehiyon-Panay (KR-P) while Bocala was allegedly the group’s first deputy secretary.

Teodosio, on the other hand, reportedly served as secretary of the central front of KR-Panay.

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 8.

He was wanted for a string of criminal cases in Agusan del Sur, including arson, kidnapping, and serious illegal detention, said Lt. Col. J-Jay Javines, spokesman of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division.

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

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 but released in 2016 to participate in the peace talks between the government and the NPA in Norway.

When the peace talks were suspended in February 2017 by then President Duterte, she went underground and did not attend the court hearings for her case.

Major General Marion Sison, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, lauded the soldiers’ perseverance in recovering the bodies of the three alleged rebels.

“Despite these threats and risks, they persevered, driven by their devotion to duty and commitment to return the cadavers of the (rebel) leaders to their families,” he said.

“This mission underscores the dedication and courage of our troops, who go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure the proper return of the cadavers of these rebel leaders to their families and loved ones,” Sison added.

The bodies of Hinojales, Bocala, and Teodosio were at the Caspe Funeral Homes in Lambunao, where they would undergo post-mortem investigation and autopsy before being handed over to their families.