The Front Feliciano, Wilson Feliciano Command is the single front of the weakest of the five CPP/NPA Regional Commands on the island, the Western Mindanao Regional Committee, or WMRC. With an AOR, or, Area of Responsibility (as in Area of Operation), controlling most of Misamis Occidental Province, a tiny part of Lanao del Norte Province, and the entire Zamboanga Peninsula with its three provinces:
1) Zamboanga del Norte
2) Zamboanga del Sur
3) Zamboanga Sibugay
and theoretically at least, all the islands south of Mainland Mindanao, in the three provinces of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi Tawi. Of course, in real life there are no Communists in Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi Tawi Provinces, or, there are, they wisely keep their mouths shut (like Mujiv Hataman but that is another sordid tale).
The single Front is sub-divided into five Section Committees and Commands, known as "SECOMs":
1) Joji, centered on Mount Malindang on the Misamis Occidental and Zamboanga Border
2) Sendong, covering the bulk of the WMRC's AOR in Misamis Occidental Province
3) Kara, covering all of the Zamboanga Peninsula
4) Traka, covering five municipalities in Lanao del Norte Province, closest to the border of the Zamboanga Peninsula, now defunct
5) White, known to AFP and PNP Intelligence as "Special Sub-Section," covers all White Areas within the WMRC's AOR. To the CPP/NPA, and agencies dealing with them, NPA AORs are divided into "White Areas" and "Red Areas." Red covers those areas under which the NPA operates in what, to it, constitutes an ideal environment, rural, firm mass base of support, and a fairly to well developed structure. "White Areas" are primarily urban, and while there is a mass base of support, it isn't geographically contigous as well as it often lingering in the grey netherworld between legal and illegal. White Area Operations are primarily concerned with urban Revolutionary Taxes (i.e. "Extortion") and SPARU Operations. "SPARUs," or Special Armed Partisan Units, are the NPA assassination teams that publicly execute informers, defectors, and other targets of retribution. The term is often misstated as "Sparrow," as in the bird. This SECOM is likewise defunct. Aside from the AOR not being powerful enough to make such public "examples," its Secretary, or, commander, was taken down at the end of 2008 after being inactive since 2006.
WMRC has fallen quite a few pegs from its formerly self assured slot as the third most powerful of the Regional Committees. Although the CPP/NPA first arrived on Mindanao before Martial Law was declared at the end of 1972, it wasn't until 1977 that the cadres began migrating out of the two cities in which the movement originally landed, Davao City and Cagayan del Oro City. By that time, only Davao City remained active. That year, the movement began expanding northward out of Davao City at an exponential rate. It thrust upwards into the southern reaches of the Caraga Region, and in 1979, finally settled in North Cotabato Province. North Cotabato's demographical divide of Muslim and non-Muslim runs more or less along the borders of that province's First and Second Congressional Districts. The Second District is the region in which the Ilonggo and other Chrsitian Filipino tribes and ethnicities hold sway.
Christianity, especially Catholicism, came under the Leftist orbit in the early 1960s, and by 1979, Liberation Theology had taken control of the Catholic Church, and to a slightly lesser extent, leading Protestant Denominations within that general area as well. There was no parallel liberalisation anywhere in the Islamic World, least of all in Central Mindanao. Yet, in communities where Christians and Muslims co-existed, the CPP/NPA made moderate gains with Muslims. The now extinct Central Mindanao Committee of the CPP/NPA had a significant Muslim minority within its ranks, and not long after,the Western Mindanao Committee (now the WMRC) could claim the samething.
With the physical, and then ideological purges that stressed the CPP/NPA on Mindanao (and later, nationwide), from 1983 to 1994, that minority would all but disappear. Whatever Muslim cadres remained active almost all jumped ship to the RPM-P/RPA (Rebolusyonaryong Partido Manggagawa-Pilipinas, aka, Worker's Party of the Philippines, and its military wing, the Revolutionary Proletariat Army, or RPA), later known as the RPM-M/RPA, after the organisation broke with the mother organisation over disagreements over the RMP-P's 1999 engagement of the Estrada Government in a Peace Process.
With the RPM-P, the Central Mindanao Committee ceased functioning. Its remaining cadres, and there weren't many, joined the Northern Mindanao Comittee which was then remade into the Northcentral Mindanao Regional Committee, or NCMRC, and the Northeast Mindanao Regional Commiittee, or NEMRC. The Muslim cadres ended up in NCMRC, which absolutely vacated Central Mindanao in concentrating on Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon Provinces (its AOR also includes slivers of Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte, and Misamis Occidental Provinces). Muslim cadres were so isolated culturally that most simply dropped out of the organisation as a whole.
In the WMRC, the secession into the RPM-P/RPA was also a mass exodus but enough of the Committee and its guerilla Fronts remained so that the Committee remained viable, even if "just barely." Its remaining guerilla Fronts were consolidated into a single Front, as noted earlier, "Front Feliciano," with an AOR that for the most part remained as it had been, the one difference being a significant reduction in its Lanao del Norte AOR, which had been subsumed by the RPM-P (later re-named RPM-M) and RPA's SR 2. WMRC's single Front was then sub-divided into "Sections" with smaller AORs in hopes of eventually regaining what had heretofore been a considerable and well developed apparatus. Sadly for the NPA, it never worked out. Until today, the WMRC remains the weakest of the five Regional Committees, which concurrently serve as Regional NPA Commands as well. Only Front Feliciano remains and until a month ago, had pretty much been on the verge of collapse.
The destruction began at the end of 2004 with the death of WMRC's Secretary, Mario "Ka Jolly" Bagundol (also known by earlier noms de guerre Ka Dorek and Ka Orlan). Bagundol had been the driving force that re-charted the organosation's presence in that large AOR. After the exodus I mentioned, the Committee stood tottering on the abyss. By force of personality and great strategical planning Bundol managed to correct what had been a precipitous decline. However, central figures in any Cult of Personality become lax, too self-assured. Stupidly, Ka Jolly had personally led the armed engagements of what had become a very lean but nevertheless lethally effective Front in a series of TACOPs (Tactical Operations). They were going well until the morning of October 27th, 2004. That morning, Jolly led nearly two dozen guerillas on an assault of an AFP, or, Armed Forces of the Philippines patrol base in the municipality of Sindangan, in Zamboanga del Norte Province. The post, in Barangay Datagan, held two squads (fourteen men total) from the 44IB (Infantry Battalion). As usual, the goal wasn't ground, buy rather guns. Killing two of the soldiers and critically wounding eight more, the NPA entered the post after the remaining three soldiers surrendered...or so Ka Jolly believed. As they began collecting weapons from the fallen soldiers, the fourteenth man popped up out of a foxhole and dropped Ka Jolly with a three round burst from his M14. As the shots rang out, another guerilla, Ka Marlo, ran over to aid his fallen commander and was himself killed instantly by another three round burst before a third guerilla was able to kill the soldier with rifle grenade.
Withdrawing from the post after collecting all weapons, his guerillas deposited their leader with a nearby peasant family who were instructed to transport Ka Jolly to a local public hospital. With a P500,000 ($11,500) Bounty on his head the peasant family promptly informed the Municipal Police Office instead, which then arrived with two platoons from the local AFP garrison. Taken to that hospital by the AFP, Bagundol slash Jolly died as he was being transferred to a better equipped hospital in Dipolog City. Ka Jolly was buried in his hometown of Plaridel, in Misamis Occidental Province on November 5th. More than a thousand people attended his funeral. For a rural hamlet in the hills of Misamis Occidental that is an astronomical number, all the more so for someone firmly associated with an illegal, underground movement. It serves as just another indication of how popular the man was. Afterwards, it was if what remained of Front Feliciano and WMRC simply melted away...until six weeks ago.
On Saturday, November 5th, 2011, in the municipality of Kabasalan's Barangay Palinta, in Zamboanga Sibugay Province, village children warned their elders that as many as fifty armed men were fast approaching their settlement, in Purok #3. Gathering all villagers in a central area, under gunpoint, guerillas began searching the homes of Barangay Captain Geronimo Dango and his predecessor, Florencio Genese, as well as CAAs and retired soldiers (see the following incident for an explanation about "CAAs"). Looking for weapons, they merely captured three 45 caliber pistols, as well as several CAA and AFP uniforms. Then, they searched the crowd gathered under gunpoint, scanning faces before finally picking out Felix Obordo, a CAA in the local CAFGU garrison (CAFGU is also explained in that aforementioned following incident listed below). The guerillas, from the NPA's SECOM Kara, in Front Feliciano (WMRC), and led by Ka Luis, told the villagers that Obordo had served as an AFP Scout on an attack on two of the Section Committee's camps, including its main camp, in that same town in the late Summer of 2010.
In the first incident, on Sunday, September 12th, 2010, CAA Obordo led the 10IB, under First Lieutenant Franco Salvador Suelto through the bush in that same town's Barangay Tampilisan. What seemed to be a mere goose chase based upon the ramblings of a recent defector from SECOM Kara, Ronald Esic, alias Ka Brix, suddenly turned out much better when the soldiers from the 10IB literally stumbled right into an NPA camp. Easily capable of holding eighty people, by NPA standards, it easily qualified as a large encampment. With the WMRC however, the site would just as easily qualify as the entire Regional Committee's main camp. Unknown to their defector, Ka Brix, Section Committee Kara had vacated that camp exactly one month earlier, on August 12th, having only spent two months there. The guerillas had then moved to a smattering of different isolated camps, one of which was also in that same town of Kabasalan, in Barangay Penaranda, in Sitio Tipangi, near the border of Sitio Logdeck.
Upon returning to their post they relayed their findings to 1ID (Infantry Division) Headquarters. Having been briefed on the existence of that second camp, 1st Infantry Division Headquarters deployed another detachment, this one from the 53IB, who after picking up CAA Obrodo the next day, September 13th, began working its way through the jungle towards Sitios Tipangi and Logdeck. Approaching this second camp the 53IB drew fire from the NPA but managed to remain unscathed as they out maneuvered what had merely been a pair of sentries guarding a thirteen guerilla encampment. While ten escaped, beating a hasty withdrawl with nothing but their weapons, three were left behind after being blocked into a corner. The three:
1) Ronel B.Simacas
2) Elmer A.Flores
3) Jenilyn F.Flores, wife of Elmer
Aside from two rounds of rifle grenades, there were no weapons captured. Although CAA Obrodo was serving as a Scout in both cases, he was utilised only because of his considerable knowledge of the local terrain, not because he knew the location of even one NPA camp. It was Ka Brix feeding the Military its Intelligence. After having a guerilla tie Obordo's hands together and hobbling his legs with more rope, the NPA withdrew, taking their prisoner with them.
Nearly two hours later, after villagers had calmed down enough and reported the incident to the PNP-PPO, or, Philippine National Police- Police Provincial Office, they began following the trail left by the NPA, hoping to zero in on CAA Obordo's location. They never got farther than 400 meters from the site where they had all been held hostage. Walking to the banks of a creek that skirts Purok #3, they found Felix Obordo hogtied, laying face down in the mud. Having been stabbed nine times he had been killed minutes after leaving the village. While executing such people is actually pretty common as far as how the NPA deals with people it perceives as going beyond the bounds of reluctant, tacit co-operation with the AFP, they usually dispose of such people in a much different manner. Stabbings very rarely fit the bill.
On Saturday, December 3rd, 2011, a four man team from the AFP's MIG-9 (Military Intelligence Group for Region 9) departed 1ID (Infantry Division) Headquarters on a mission to assist a multi-national mining corporation who were being targeted by the NPA for "Revolutionary Taxes." The corporation, Canadian based TVIRD (Toronto Ventures Resources and International Development) operates a very profitable venture in the municipality of Siocon's Mount Canatuan, in Zamboanga Sibugay Province. Although that mine is itself embroiled in paramilitary-related violence, it is the company's third test drilling site in the town of Bayog that is currently being targeted by the NPA. Because the WMRC has been on its last legs, neigh, on the verge of extinction, there was a great deal of uncertainty as to whether TVIRD was actually being targeted by the NPA, or simply one of the many local extortion outfits who do- from time to time- target businesses while claiming to represent one of the various insurgent organisations as a pretence. The four man MIG team was joined by two CAAs, one of whom was a retired soldier.
CAAs, or Civilian Active Auxiliaries, are soldiers serving in a hybrid entity of the same name, the CAA, with features of paramilitaries as well as military reserves. Like paramilitaries they are in active duty mode, and like military reserves they are issued AFP serial numbers, are trained by the AFP, and armed by the AFP. There are two CAA entities, the CAFGU (Civilian Active Force Geographical Unit) and SCAA (Special Civilian Active Auxiliaries). CAFGUs serve directly under the AFP's cadre battalions, which deploys non-commisioned officers as detachment commanders. CAFGU can only operate within their own municipality, funded by the AFP. SCAAs are funded by and dedicated towards securing specific private businesses though, in the last five years, LGUs (Local Government Units, as in municipal and provincial governments) have begun employing them as well. Whereas a municipality must go through a somewhat lengthly process before getting a trained CAFGU detachment, an SCAA can be on the ground within sixty days of an initial request, although they often take quite abit longer- unless the funding entity wants it expedited.
The CAAs with MIG-9 were in TVIRD's SCAA, deployed on Mount Canatuan in Siocon, but accompanying all work crews, such as the crews that have been sinking test holes In the municipality of Bayog's Sitio Balahay. TVIRD's presence on the Zamboanga Peninsula is highly contentious with both environmentalists as well as the Subanen, the Lumad (Hilltribe) indigenous to the peninsula. I have actually been trying to piece together a series on the corporation and its nefarious activities since March of this year, 2011. That month, a CAA serving in TVIRD's SCAA blew away a local man during a protest on the Mount Canatuan Mine's access road but alas, like so many entries, it remains a work in progress. Aaaaah, the joy of being anal rententive about fact checking and overall accuracy.
Using a TVIRD pickup truck, the six men, all in civilian attire, but well armed, were heading to Bayog in hopes of catching an expected representative of the extortionists. However, as the truck entered the municipality of Diplahan's, Barangay Guinoman in Zamboanga Sibugay Province, they ran into a PNP, or, Philippine National Police checkpoint in Sitio Mahayahay. Driving a company vehicle, dressed in civilian clothes, Major Ramon Tores, Intelligence Officer for the 102nd Infantry Brigade, and Commanding Officer for that MIG-9 team was aggravated when instructed by the Checkpoint Commander to dismount from the truck and approach the actual checkpoint on foot. As Major Torres began to comply, he noticed that some of the "police officers" manning the checkpoint were actually dressed in the white vest and name tags issued to media representatives on Mindanao.
As Major Torres was putting two and two together he glanced ahead of the checkpoint position and saw approximately thirty NPA guerillas, and realised he was actually at an NPA Checkpoint. When the "police" quickly moved towards the company vehicle and surrouded the pickup truck screaming, Major Torres quickly grabbed the opportunity and ran three meters and into the jungle and dived into a deep flowing creek. Back at the checkpoint the NPA was grabbing the five men as others rushed into the jungle after Major Torres.
After searching both the vehicle and the five remaining prisoners the guerillas from the NPA's SECOM Kara of Front Feliciano divested the AFP and TVRDI of three M16s, one M14, five 45 caliber pistols, and one 9MM pistol. After an hour of interrogation all five were released when the guerillas tracking Major Torres radioed back to the main group that the officer had disappeared- though the five prisoners weren't privy to that communication. The pickup truck was burned and the five men forced to walk to the nearest settlement, 4 kilometers away, but having dodged a career-ruining detention by the NPA they were not entirely in the worst of spirits.
Finally making their way into town, the three soldiers and two CAAs made contact with 1ID and reported their situation. A detachment from the 53IB was scrambled to retrieve them and a Search and Rescue Operation was hatched to try and rescue Major Torres from what the AFP then believed to be, yet another NPA detention of an AFP member. As 1ID worked on sewing that together Major Torres sucessfully evaded capture although he had fractured his wrist ehile diving into the creek. Surfacing down creek he followed the waterway until he was able to ascertain the location of the nearest CAA detachment. Just before midnite, wet, cold, and in intence pain, Major Torres contacted Division Headquarters from the CAA garrison in Barangay Guinoman, the same barangay in which his ordeal had began, early that morning. Again, 53IB was scrambled and transported Major Torres directly to 102nd Infantry Brigade Headquarters in the provincial capital of Ipil. In a way Torees' mission had been sucessful. After all, the AFP AND TVIRD now knew that it was in fact the NPA that was targetting the corporation for extortion.
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