CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – The Armed Forces Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) declared yesterday a “major breakthrough” in dismantling a breakaway group of the New People’s Army (NPA) with the arrest of its five top leaders at a checkpoint in Barangay Sindalan here Tueday night.
In a report, Nolcom said joint military and police teams arrested Mark Lenin Canda Salas alias Red or Lara, Jerry Simbulan alias Mao or Miguel, Daniel Joseph Navarro alias BJ or Marko, Jose Gomez alias Sabel, and Rodwyin Tala alias Rasel at a checkpoint at Villa Barcelona in Sindalan at about midnight last Tuesday.
Salas, the report said, is the highest ranking leader of the Rebolusyonaryong Hukbong Bayan (RHB), the armed component of the Marxist-Leninist Party of the Philippines (MLPP) which broke away from the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) in the 1990’s. The NPA is the CPP’s armed group.
Nolcom spokesperson Maj. Rosendo Armas said the five alleged rebels were on board a while Mitsubishi Galant with plate No. OFW 688 when they were flagged down at the checkpoint manned by combined personnel from the 703rd Infantry Brigade, the 7th Mechanized Infantry Batallion, the 7th CMO Batallion and the Pampanga police.
Armas said that while armed, the suspects did not put up a fight with the lawmen. Found in the possession of the five were four M16 rifles, one light anti-tank weapon, three pistols, 14 magazines, document with “high intelligence value.”
Armas said the operation was “an offshoot of intensified operations directed against remnants of the local terrorist movement, both the mainstream NPA and breakaway group, operating in Pampanga.”
He recalled that only last July 30, soldiers and police figured in a gunbattle with another RHB group at Purok 3, Barangay Sta. Cruz, Mexico Pampanga following a tip-off from concerned residents.
Three rebels were killed based in that incident while the military seized one M16 armalite rifle, another M16 with M203 grenade launcher, one caliber 45 pistol, four ammunition for M203, bandoleers, subversive document and some personal belongings of the rebels.
“The RHB’s presence is still felt in some areas of Central Luzon although the threat posed by the group is already very limited. The NPA and RHB have a long-standing turf war over extortion and other criminal operations. The brutal crackdown implemented by these terrorists groups cost many lives on both sides,” Armas said.
Nolcom chief Maj. Gen. Gaudencio Pangilinan commended the troops involved in the arrest of the rebel leaders.
In a report, Nolcom said joint military and police teams arrested Mark Lenin Canda Salas alias Red or Lara, Jerry Simbulan alias Mao or Miguel, Daniel Joseph Navarro alias BJ or Marko, Jose Gomez alias Sabel, and Rodwyin Tala alias Rasel at a checkpoint at Villa Barcelona in Sindalan at about midnight last Tuesday.
Salas, the report said, is the highest ranking leader of the Rebolusyonaryong Hukbong Bayan (RHB), the armed component of the Marxist-Leninist Party of the Philippines (MLPP) which broke away from the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) in the 1990’s. The NPA is the CPP’s armed group.
Nolcom spokesperson Maj. Rosendo Armas said the five alleged rebels were on board a while Mitsubishi Galant with plate No. OFW 688 when they were flagged down at the checkpoint manned by combined personnel from the 703rd Infantry Brigade, the 7th Mechanized Infantry Batallion, the 7th CMO Batallion and the Pampanga police.
Armas said that while armed, the suspects did not put up a fight with the lawmen. Found in the possession of the five were four M16 rifles, one light anti-tank weapon, three pistols, 14 magazines, document with “high intelligence value.”
Armas said the operation was “an offshoot of intensified operations directed against remnants of the local terrorist movement, both the mainstream NPA and breakaway group, operating in Pampanga.”
He recalled that only last July 30, soldiers and police figured in a gunbattle with another RHB group at Purok 3, Barangay Sta. Cruz, Mexico Pampanga following a tip-off from concerned residents.
Three rebels were killed based in that incident while the military seized one M16 armalite rifle, another M16 with M203 grenade launcher, one caliber 45 pistol, four ammunition for M203, bandoleers, subversive document and some personal belongings of the rebels.
“The RHB’s presence is still felt in some areas of Central Luzon although the threat posed by the group is already very limited. The NPA and RHB have a long-standing turf war over extortion and other criminal operations. The brutal crackdown implemented by these terrorists groups cost many lives on both sides,” Armas said.
Nolcom chief Maj. Gen. Gaudencio Pangilinan commended the troops involved in the arrest of the rebel leaders.
