‘Ranking communist rebel’ nabbed, 1 killed in Davao Sur clash

MATANAO, Davao del Sur – An alleged ranking communist leader in Southern Mindanao was arrested while another rebel was killed in a clash with soldiers and policemen in Barangay Buri here on Wednesday.

Lt. Col. Arnold Argamosa, commander of the Army’s 39th Infantry Battalion, identified on Thursday, the arrested rebel as Joan Casamorin, alias Alvin, whom he described as the vice-commanding officer of the Guerrilla Front 72 of the New People Army’s Far South Mindanao Regional Committee (FSMR).

Argamosa said Casamorin, who has been operating in the hinterlands of South Cotabato, Davao del Sur, North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat, had previously been charged with robbery, kidnapping and serious illegal detention, and murder, but provided no details on the cases.

Meanwhile, Argamosa identified the slain rebel by his alias Jebjeb.

Argamosa said the firefight started when the military and the police deployed men to verify a report on the presence of armed men in Barangay Buri.

He said upon reaching a section of the village, the military and police were immediately greeted by gunfire and a clash ensued.

No government troop was harmed, he said, but the body of the slain rebel was recovered – alongside a .45 caliber pistol and three improvised explosive devices – after the clash. Casamorin was also captured while the rest of the rebels had fled.

“The successful arrest of the NPA leader sends a message that the community is working with the government in attaining a just peace in the area. They are tired of the lies, deceit and atrocities committed by the NPA,” Argamosa said. SFM