The death of two alleged regional officers of the New People’s Army (NPA) in a “fierce encounter” at Brgy. Caduha-an, Cadiz City, Negros Occidental, on Saturday, March 8, is a big blow to the rebel movement, the 79th Infantry Battalion commander, said on Sunday.
“This engagement is a significant blow to the entire Communist Terrorist network not only in the Island of Negros but throughout Western and Central Visayas. The neutralization of their sitting regional front secretary at the same time regional finance officer and their communications officer signals their near decimation,” Lt. Col. Arnel P. Calaoagan, 79th IB commander, said.
Killed in a 8-minute firefight between 79th IB soldiers and seven communist terrorists were Hans Ponteras alias Jojo, Lance, Teddy, and Mojo; and Marissa Pobresa alias Kim, Renz and Mia, 1st Lt. Dan Carlo Samoza, 79th IB Civil Military Operations Officer, said.
He said other rebels were also believed wounded as indicated by blood stains at the encounter site.
Ponteras is the acting or the sitting regional front secretary and the finance officer or head of the Regional Taxation Implementing Group (RTIG) of the NPA’s Komiteng Rehiyon-Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor (KR-NCBS), Samoza said.
Ponteras is also known among former rebels as the “facilitator of various extortion and recruitment activities in the region and the author and signatory of different extortion letters and death notes distributed by the communist terrorist group under the codename of Armando Magbanua of the Apolonario Gatmaitan Command of Negros Island, he added.
It was also discovered that alias Jojo has multiple existing warrants of arrest for various atrocities, Samoza said.
Pobresa, 23, a former member of Squad 1 of the SDG Platoon of the defunct Central Negros 2, is the primary staff of Ponteras and the current regional communication officer, he added.
She was a minor when she was recruited into the rebel movement, Samoza said.
The government forces had no casualties during the encounter.
Recovered from the encounter site were an M-16 rifle, .45 caliber pistol, hand grenade, laptop, five 40mm high-explosive grenades, one rifle grenade, ammunition, and personal belongings, Samoza said.
They also recovered subversive documents, which include extortion letters and documents of high intelligence value, he added.
Calaoagan said “we together with the people who are sick and tired of the CTG’s barbaric intentions against the Negrosanon will remain equivocally steadfast in our mission to end the Local Communist Armed Conflict and ensure lasting peace and security in the entire Negros Island Region”.