Monday, December 13, 2010

The NPA Continues to Spread its Xmas Cheer

In my previous post I had gone into great detail about the jump starting of the decades old GRP-NDF Peace Process as well as a very brief description of a single NPA tactical offencive that took place 4 days ago in Davao City. Of course that 1 incident is only 1 of many armed engagements involving the NPA here in Mindanao so I thought it prudent to give a more in depth accounting of the latest NPA armed engagements.


As I had discussed in my previous post, Friday night, December 10, 2010 saw the NPA's Merardo Arce Command confound the 10ID (Infantry Division) with a full infiltration of the Barangay Mapula CAFGU (Citizens Armed Force Geographical Unit, an official paramilitary geographically linked to a specific municipality) in Davao City's Paquibato District. The NPA was able to do so without firing a single shot owing to the very experienced planning and execution of the operational commander. Leonicio "Ka Parago" Pitao personally led an element of his 1st Pulang Bagani Company, all of them dressed in AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) uniforms captured during previous armed contacts with the AFP.

Travelling to Mapula they abducted the Barangay Captain and a local datu (tribal chief) before the group set out for the CAFGU post.Like a typical CAFGU post anywhere in the nation on a Friday night the Mapula post had a skeleton crew on duty, 9 CAFGU soldiers and the detachment CO (Commanding Officer) ,an AFP NCO (Non Commisioned Officer) , Cpl.Fresilo Dosel of the 72IB (Infantry Battalion). As soon as the detachment realised that their friendly visitors were not AFP regulars but rather Maoist guerillas 8 of the 9 abandoned their post after throwing their rifles down and running away. Capturing the CO's M14 and the detachment's 9 M1s (vintage Garands) and taking the 1 CAFGU soldier and the AFP NCO hostage the group left. After travelling out of Paquibato District all 4 captives were released unharmed.

December 07, 2010, the same day that the annual Xmas Ceasefire was unilaterally announced by the NPA, in Purok #9, Barangay Pasian, Monkayo, ComVal (Compostela Valley Province), the 25IB
(Infantry Battalion) was on patrol when it stumbled onto a temporary encampment of 10 guerillas from the NPA's Front 3 (Alejandro Lanaja Command) inside an abandoned nipa (thatched hut, most common form of housing in the Philippines). After a brief but extremely intence fire fight 6 guerillas withdrew leaving behind 4 mates. 3 were dead but the 4th, Lea "Ka Tanya" Palma Gil from Mati, Davao Oriental Province had taken a round in her right thigh leaving her unable to move. The 25IB radioed in for a Medevac (helicopter evacuation for advanced medical treatment) to transport the young lady to Camp Panacan Hospital at 10ID (Infantry Division) HQ in Davao City. Unfortunately the bullet severed an artery and 20 minutes into the 25 minute flight Palma Gil died. In addition to the 4 dead guerillas rifles, all M16s, 3 of their fleeing comrades had abandoned theirs as well, for a total of 7 rifles captured by the AFP in that short engagement: 5 M16s, 1 M14 and 1 M1 (vintage Garand). Also captured were 2 IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices, aka "bombs").

On December 05, 2010 in Barangay Tandik, Maragusan, ComVal, the NPA's Front 27 ambushed a column from the Scout Rangers 2nd Battalion while the latter was on patrol but the NPA took the worst of it with 1 guerilla killed and his M16 captured by the AFP. The dead guerilla, Juanito "Ka JunJun" Bustamente was from Sitio Patalangon, Barangay Zone #1, Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur Province. The young man was an assistant on a jeepney but when the vehicle's owner sold it in the Spring of 2010 Bustamente told his family he was going to try to find work in Manila. Instead he ended up as a bamboo harvester in ComVal. Starting that difficult job in late June, by August, 2010 he had become an NPA regular... little more than 60 days later he was dead.

On November 30, 2010 in Barangay Paloc, Maragusan, the NPA's Front 27 (Rhyme Petalcorin Command) ambushed a 50 man column of the Scout Rangers 5th Company with 3 simaltaneously detonated IEDs. 5 Scout Rangers were killed, 10 were wounded, 6 critically.The NPA lost 1 guerilla, known by his nom de guerre, "Ka Boogie,"


On November 25, 2010 in Barangay Hagpa, Impasug-ong, Bukidnon Province the family of a recently killed guerilla from the NPA's Julito Tiro Command were inexplicably denied permission by the 8IB to disinter the grave if their loved one, Joel "Ka Toto" Compas of Barangay Bangbang, Medina, Misamis Oriental
despite representatives from the ICRC (Red Cross) accompanying them. The family wished to re-bury Compas in his hometown but the 8IB citing security concerns in an NPA influenced barangay refused to issue a Safe Passage Permi to the party. Such permits are part of the SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) and allow bearers to circumvent AFP/CAFGU/PNP checkpoints unmolested. Usually the AFP will agree to provide an armed security detail or else disinter the remains themselves and deliver them to a nearby funeral home. For some reason known only to the 8IB CMO (Civil Military Officer) this family was told to let their loved one rot in a shallow grave in an expanse of hinterland junfle.

On November 19, 2010 in that same previous barangay, Hagpa, in Impasug-on in Bukidnon Province, as a composite force from the 8 and 29IBs conducted ground operations against the NPA, a series if 105MM shells slammed into Bundok Talundanan in Sitio Bagong Silang. Talundanan is a Higaon-an and Pulangiyen Tribal holysite. Perhaps the 8IB's denial of passage to the ICRC 6 days later had a bit to do with negligently fired artillery shells...

November 16, 2010, in Sitio Membanta, Barangay Upper Ulip, Monkayo, in ComVal, Cpl.Daiem Amsali Hadjaie of the 25IB left his camp on his motorcycle en route to Camp Panacan Hospital in Davao City seeking treatment for abdominal cramping and a possibly unrelated skin condition. Minutes later he came across an NPA checkpoint implemented by Front 20 (Conrado Heredia Commamd). This time the NPA bit off more than their pouty little mouths could chew, Cpl.Hadjaie's abduction was a propagandist's nightmare. Not only was the 25 year old NCO ill, his wife was 8 and a half months pregnant and waiting for him in Camp Panacan. Going from bad to worse, Hadjaie is a Tausug Tribesmen, a Muslim. This by itself would be a major headache because of the risk in alienating other insurgent movements. The cherry on top was that the day in question was a Muslim holiday.

Both the MILF and MNLF quickly went to bat for the NCO which is as hypocritical as it gets seeing as how both those insurgencies kill AFP soldiers regardless of their tribal or religious allegiances. In any event Hadjaie was released to Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte of Davao City on November 28.


That same day in Barangay Limot, Luuk, ComVal, Bagani (tribal paramilitary sancrioned by the AFP but officially denied so as to avoid culpability when these poorly trained soldiers run amok) soldier under Kumander (CO) Isagani Carmelotes and based in Sitio Logom, Barangay Pagwas lured 2 local NPA regulars," Ka Jeffrey" and "Ka Iso," to the home of a 2nd Bagani soldier.The 2 guerillas were tortured and then had their limbs hacked off while still alive, before they bled to death. Isgani then personally surrendered the 2 guerillas' M16s to the post manned by 26IB's C COY (Company C) in Barangay Del Monte, Veruela, Agusan del Sur Province. The 2 dead NPA guerillas had been part of the detachment from Front 3 that had ambushed a composite AFP detachment from 26IB, 3rd Special Forces (Airborne) Battalion and Isgani's Bagani Company just days earlier.



November 10, 2010 in Barangay Upper Bala, Magsaysay, Davao del Sur Province, a detachment from the NPA's Valentin Palamine Command disarmed that barangay's CVO (Civilian Volunteer Auxiliary, the PNP equivalent of the AFP's CAFGU though almost always only found in Muslim areas). The NPA captured 2 M1s (Garands), 7 pump shotguns and a single 9MM pistols. The disarmament took place without a single shot being fired.

Lest anyone imagine the NPA to somehow be morally superior after reading my synopsis of the Bagani soldiers gruesome killing of 2 NPA guerillas in ComVal...

On November 02, 2010 in Sitio Bango, Barangay Ngan in the town of Compostela, in ComVal, offduty CAFGU soldier Albert Meniza was enjoying a rare quiet night off with his family when 3 female NPA guerillas kicked in his door, tied his arms behind his back and frog marched him into the jungle. Reaching a clearing hours later he was tied to a tree. Shortly there after a detachment from the Merardo Arce Command's Pulang Bagani Company 4 under "Ka Jason" entered the clearing. After interrogating Meniza Ka Jason warned him that he had until December 01 to withdraw his CAFGU commission or he and his family would be killed.

On October 29, 2010 in Barabgay Langgawesan, Maragusan, ComVal, 2 off duty CAFGU soldiers, Rey Ciba and Panpilo Lupogan were both at home with their families when a group of NPA guerillas entered each home and tied their arms behind their backs. Prodding them with the stocks of their rifles they were marched to the home of Junior Lagungan of that barangay's Sitio Hanginan. Waiting inside the home was a female guerilla who identified herself as "Ka Jen Jen" who ordered both soldiers to resign their CAFGU commissions immediately lest she execute a 3rd CAFGU soldier from their detachment as a "lesson,"

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