The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) congratulated the New People’s Army (NPA) successful May 15 ambush, killing eight soldiers, of a Philippine Army unit which it claims to be involved in the Tumandok Massacre, killing of the peasant leader John Farochilin, and the brutal implementation of the Revitalized Community Support Program (RCSP).
A report from the NPA-Mt. Napulak Command says that five soldiers of the Army’s 61st Infantry Battalion (IB) Scout platoon and 79th IB were killed on the spot, three declared dead-on-arrival, and another five were wounded in the ambush that took place in the border between Miag-ao, Iloilo and Sibalom, Antique.
The NPA used a command detonated explosive to attack the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) troops posted in the area. NPA rebels claim that the ambush is part of its active defense operations against troops from the 3rd Infantry Division and their activities.
Moreover, “this [ambush] is in partial fulfillment of the vow to exact justice for the Tumandok people and other victims of the crimes perpetrated by the 61st IB and other units of the AFP,” said CPP chief information officer Marco Valbuena.
Opposition to the Jalaur Mega Dam Project made the Tumandoks targets for the armed forces. After the massacre which killed nine and imprisoned 16, the CPP called on the NPA to avenge the killing and arrests of tribes people who were fighting for their ancestral domains.
Col. Joel Benedict Batara, commanding officer of the 61st IB, however, says that the ambush was a mere “encounter” in which government troops responded to tips of NPA presence in the area.
Moreover, 3rd IDPA spokesperson Maj. Cenon Pancito denied the death toll claimed by the rebels and said in a local radio interview that only one government soldier was wounded.
Meanwhile, NPA-Panay Regional Operation Command spokesperson Julio Montana touts that the Army is ashamed of its fallen troops and the masses celebrating the NPA victory.
“With the deep and wide support of the people, the NPA will never rest in their efforts to attain justice for all the victims of the terrorist tyranny of the US-Duterte regime,” Valbuena emphasized.
The Maoist rebels said they will mount more tactical offensives to mete out revolutionary justice and make the Duterte administration pay for its atrocities.
