(File photo courtesy of Philippine Army) MANILA - Philippine Army (PA) commander Lt. Gen. Andres Centino said the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) has allowed troops to focus more on combat missions and security operations. "The NTF-ELCAC, which relies on the comprehensive whole-of-nation approach in solving the insurgency problem, allowed our troops to focus on combat missions and security operations," Centino said in a statement posted at the PA's Facebook page on Thursday. Communist insurgents suffered a massive blow with the death of top New People's Army (NPA) commander Jorge "Ka Oris" Madlos. He died in an encounter in the hinterlands of Impasug-ong, Bukidnon last October 30. Madlos is also the commander of the NPA's National Operations Command, directing the operations of the communist terrorists nationwide. Another accomplishment is the capture of 35-year-old rebel leader Ramil Banawan, secretary of the Gueril
MOTHER'S LOVE. Nora Mansumuy-ut (right) hugs his son alias "Ram" tightly at the Camp Panacan Hospital in Davao City on Friday (Oct. 29, 2021) after not seeing him for seven years. Ram left his family to join the New People's Army when he was 15 but got wounded in a recent firefight with government troops. (PNA photo by Che Palicte) DAVAO CITY - A wounded rebel of the New People's Army (NPA) confined at the Camp Panacan Hospital here on Friday was reunited with his mother whom he has not seen for seven years. In an emotional encounter, Nora Mansumuy-ut said it was her first time seeing his son, alias "Ram" in seven years and was glad that he was still alive. "There was a sigh of relief on my part. When he was still in the armed struggle, I cannot focus on my work. I miss him so much," she said in the vernacular. Nora narrated that Ram joined the armed struggle at the age of 15. She added that for seven years, she feared for the life of Ram and o
MOTHER'S LOVE. Nora Mansumuy-ut (right) hugs his son alias "Ram" tightly at the Camp Panacan Hospital in Davao City on Friday (Oct. 29, 2021) after not seeing him for seven years. Ram left his family to join the New People's Army when he was 15 but got wounded in a recent firefight with government troops. (PNA photo by Che Palicte) DAVAO CITY - A wounded member of the New People's Army (NPA) confined at the Camp Panacan Hospital here on Friday was reunited with his mother whom he has not seen for seven years. In an emotional encounter, Nora Mansumuy-ut said it was her first time seeing his son, alias "Ram", in seven years and was glad that he was still alive. "There was a sigh of relief on my part. When he was still in the armed struggle, I cannot focus on my work. I miss him so much," she said in the vernacular. Nora narrated that Ram joined the armed struggle at the age of 15. She added that for seven years, she feared for the life of Ram and
Google map of La Paz, Agusan del Sur. BUTUAN CITY - The Police Regional Office (PRO) in Caraga (Region 13) on Monday said a New People's Army (NPA) rebel involved in the killing of an Army trooper in 2017 has been arrested. PRO-13 director, Brig. Gen. Romeo Caramat Jr., in a statement, identified the suspect as Benjon Acero, alias Benjoy Asero/Yowin, 31, of Sitio Libon, Barangay Lydia in La Paz, Agusan del Sur. He added that Acero is the former leader of Squad 1, Sandatahang Yunit Pampropaganda Platoon of NPA Guerrilla Front 88, Sub-Regional Command 3, North Center Mindanao Regional Committee. "Acero was arrested by the personnel of Agusan del Sur police provincial office in a manhunt operation conducted in Purok 4, Barangay Poblacion, La Paz on Sunday afternoon," Caramat said. He said the suspect was among the NPA insurgents who killed Army Private Junry Cablay in Barangay Comota, La Paz on June 9, 2017. On Nov. 24, 2020, an arrest warrant for murder was issued against t
NEW LIFE. An NPA couple, identified only through their aliases "Amad/Saijie", 34 (left), and "Nam/Xian", 33, of the New People's Army's North Central Mindanao Regional Committee, have finally abandoned their communist ideology and yielded to the Agusan del Sur Police on Wednesday (Oct. 20, 2021). The couple decided to renew their lives after seeing the government's sincerity in providing opportunities to former rebels. (Photo courtesy of PRO-13) BUTUAN CITY - After years of involvement in different terroristic activities of the communist New People's Army (NPA), a couple finally surrendered to police authorities in Agusan del Sur to renew their lives. In a statement issued on Thursday, Brig. Gen. Romeo Caramat Jr., director of Police Regional Office 13 (Caraga), commended the Agusan del Sur Police Provincial Office (ADSPPO) for its efforts to reach out to the NPA couple that led to their surrender. "The intelligence operatives of ADSPPO had been