NPA’s Bicol leader, 5 others killed in firefight

LEGAZPI CITY — Army troopers killed the commander and five members of the New People’s Army Front 72 Committee, wounded eight others and captured six more during a 30-minute firefight in Labo town, Camarines Norte Saturday morning.

Maj. Gen. Ernesto Carolina, Southern Luzon Command head, said Carlito Arigo alias Ka Jack, Front 72 Guerrilla Committee leader, was killed inside the NPA camp at Barangay Siland Dos when 21 Army soldiers from the 31st Infantry Battalion attacked the camp at about 6:30 a.m.

Carolina said the soldiers also captured three M-16 rifles, an M-14 rifle and two laptop computers containing highly valuable information on the rebel movement operating at the boundary of Camarines Norte and Calaug, Quezon.

Army troopers, who were tipped off by the residents in the area on the extensive extortion being conducted by the rebels, were able to penetrate the main camp at dawn Saturday triggering a 30-minute running battle.

Many of the rebels were also wounded but were brought by their companions on their escape to the adjacent barangay.

"This is a major blow to the rebel movement in the Bicol region," said Carolina who launched Oplan Bayani Bravo early January this year to smash the different guerrilla fronts of the Bicol Regional Party Committee this year.

Col. Jack Cordero, commander of the 31st Infantry Battalion, told The STAR that this is the third major encounter with the NPA rebels this year.

Cordero said that 10 NPA rebels were also killed in November 1999 when the military overran a training camp in Barangay Landing in Labo town.

Eight more rebels were killed July last year, including two high ranking leaders, when Army soldiers attacked the headquarters of the Bicol Regional Party Committee (BRPC) at the boundary of Labo in Camarines Norte and Tagkawayan town in Quezon province. Army soldiers recovered six firearms and one 30 caliber machine gun at the scene. Three BRPC staff were also captured including a certain Nancy Cabug, the political and training staff. She was subsequently released as a gesture of good will for the GRP-NPA peace talks.

Carolina said the bodies of the slain rebels were turned over to the Labo police for identification and disposition while charges were filed against those captured.

"The communist insurgency is just like an illegal numbers game where the party members gets the bigger loot while the rebels who are the main collectors suffer the brunt of the war," said Carolina. — With Jaime Laude