Army commander orders 47IB to hunt down rebels

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, March 6, (PIA)—A high-ranking army official in the Visayas has ordered officers and men of the 47 Infantry Battalion to hunt the rebels escaping after the encounter and for the Boholanos to continue vigilance and cooperation with the army in denying the rebels the chance to regain strength in Bohol.

3rd Infantry Division Commanding General, MajGen. Eric Vinoya issued this as he emphasized that they can not allow the terrorist organization of the Communist Party of the Philippines, New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) to regain strength in Bohol.

47IB operates under the 3ID based in Jamindan Capiz.

This after a joint army-police patrol engaged armed members of the Communist Party of the Philippines New People’s Army in about 30 minutes of gun fight in Barangay Cansumbol, Bilar.

The brief firefight resulted to the death of a young soldier and an armed rebel from Loon town.

47IB officials identified the government fatality as Private First Class Jerald Villanueva, 26 years old of Purok 8, Brgy. Upper Dansuli, Isulan, Sultan Kudarat.

From the rebel’s side, the dead rebel was identified through his voter’s ID as Marcelo Tejero Maldos, 55, from Cantumocad, Loon, Bohol.

With the order, MajGen Vinoya based his order on the visible development in Bohol which sprouted right after it was declared insurgency-free.

“Bohol has now a blooming tourism industry enjoyed not only by its citizens, but also by local and international tourists, hence, we will not allow these communist-terrorists to establish and cast terror in the province again,” he said.

“We wipe[d] them out from Bohol before, we will make sure to erase even their traces in the province once more with the support and cooperation of the peace-loving Boholanons,” he issued the statement.

Stressing on the pretext that development can only prosper in a conducive environment of peace, he added, “Boholanons are benefiting an insurgency-free community for almost a decade due to their vigilance and grit in helping and supporting the government’s peace campaign. I am optimistic that with these positive traits of the Boholanons, the government forces will be able to totally eradicate these terrorists in the province. With the Boholanons on our side, rest assured that we will protect Bohol from the menace of this communist-terrorist group. We will never let them harm the people of Bohol again. We will do it no matter what happens and whatever it takes.”

The AFP and PNP had already beefed up their forces in Bilar to pursue remnants of the terrorist group following the encounter.

The Local Goverment Unit of Bilar headed by Hon. Manuel Jayectin also promptly responded to the area and took necessary actions relative to the present situation.

The firefight is the first fatal encounter a decade and a couple of weeks after the Philippine Army declared Bohol insurgency-free in 2010.

According to the army, while the NPAs fled Bohol in 2010, sightings of them returning to Bohol started in 2018.

The sightings of armed men however have been downplayed by local officials, insisting that Bohol remained insurgency-free since then.

The bloody encounter also happened in the same year Bohol skipped commemorating February 11 as the Provincial Day of Peace, as to an ordinance commemorating the declaration of the end or insurgency in the province. (rahchiu/PIA-7/Bohol)

ONE TOO MANY. With too many lives already lost in the over three decades of war with the local insurgents, Maj General Eric Vinoya of the 3rd Infantry Division promises to deny the NPAs the chance to regain their strength in Bohol, as Bohol has enjoyed a blooming tourism industry catering to local and foreign tourists. (PIABohol/47IB)