TOP NPA COMMANDER | Maoist-led rebel forces dispute military reports top guerrilla leader was killed in a clash

November 1, 2021 , 01:18 PM

By Manny Mogato, News5 editor-at-large

(November 1, 2021) – Maoist-led rebel forces on Monday disputed military reports that the top New People’s Army (NPA) guerrilla leader was killed in an armed encounter in Bukidnon, an incident which the government described as a big blow to the Communist movement.

Jorge Madlos, alias Ka Oris, and his medical staff, were ambushed on a highway in Impasug-ong town in Bukidnon at around 8 p.m on Friday while on their way to a hospital to seek treatment, Marco Valbuena, a rebel spokesman, said in a statement sent to media organizations.

“They were not in a position to give battle or fight back and were murdered in cold-blood,” Valbuena said.

Kilala ang NPA leader na si Jorge Madlos o “Ka Oris” bilang “top most wanted NPA commander” sa bansa.

Posted by News5 on Sunday, October 31, 2021

Madlos was the senior member of the central committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines and the commander of the National Operations Command of the rebels’ armed wing, New People’s Army. He was also the spokesman for the National Democratic Front, the political arm of the communist party, which had been negotiating a peace agreement with the government since 1986.

President Rodrigo Duterte scrapped the peace talks in 2017 and created the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) to crush the insurgency before his term ends next year.

The military dismissed the rebel statement as a propaganda, saying there was an encounter in the mountains in Bukidnon.

“Madlos was the most ranking guerrilla commander and it was impossible for him to move around with only one companion,” Colonel Ramon Zagala, military spokesman, said. “We know that he was not moving around with less than 30 to to 40 armed escorts. Our technical intelligence team had tracked him down in Bukidnon.”

An army intelligence official said drones and a plane were used to pinpoint Madlos’ exact location during the encounter. The air force sent out Hermes unmanned aerial vehicle and Cessna caravan plane during the operations.

The military said a combined army and police team clashed with Madlos’ group last week outside Impasug-ong town proper. He and a companion were wounded in the firefight and were abandoned to die.

The air force also dropped bombs in the rebels’ lair to soften the ground before soldiers and police commandos moved in. There were no reports of casualty on the government side.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana hailed the military’s twin success in separate operations against Maoist-led rebels and pro-Islamic State militants in Bukidnon and Maguindanao, respectively.

“The neutralization of Jorge “Ka Oris” Madlos and Salahuddin Hassan through the sustained internal security operations of our troops is a big blow to these local terrorist groups,” Lorenzana said in a statement, adding the twin operations were the manifestation of the military’s commitment to secure the people against the threat of these lawless elements.

“As the NPA and other local terrorist groups become weaker due to the efforts not just of the security sector but of the whole nation, we call on the public to continue supporting our bid for peace and progress in our country.”

For his part, Zagala said the death of Madlos would “severely diminish” the capability of the rebels. More than 200 NPA rebels have been killed this year and nearly 250 leaders and members have been captured in security operations, including Rafael Baylosis.

Based on military intelligence estimates, the NPA’s armed strength has been down to a little over 3,000 and the death of Madlos could further weaken and demoralize its ranks.

Military intelligence said Menandro Villanueva, head of the Southern Mindanao regional party committee, could assume as NPA commander after Madlos’ death.

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