A New People’s Army rebel was killed after troops of the 62nd Infantry Unifier Battalion encountered remnants of the dismantled Central Negros 1 (CN1) communist front at Barangay Quintin Remo, Moises Padilla, 7 a.m. Tuesday, May 21, the 62IB reported.
Civilians reported the presence of the rebels conducting extortion and recruitment activities in the area, prompting the 62IB to launch focused military operations that resulted in a 10-minute encounter, 1Lt. Mary Liza Joy de Guzman, 62IB civil-military operations officer, said.
The fleeing rebels left one dead comrade with one M-16 rifle, three magazines with live ammunition, a bandolier, and subversive documents behind, she said.
The fatality was identified as Richard Dela Peña, alias Rocky, 50, a member of the dismantled CN1 operating in the hinterlands in Moises Padilla.
Dela Peña was involved in various crimes and human rights violations, including the murder of Albert Navaro Goles, alias Tongkay, who was killed on April 24 on suspicion that he was a military informant, de Guzman said.
Alias Rocky was also reported in company of Marivic Ebarle. alias Ivan, a communist rebel killed in an encounter at Sitio Kawayanan, Brgy Montilla, Moises Padilla, on July 20, 2023, she added.
The 62IB is reiterating its call to all NPA rebels to surrender and live peacefully with their families, as the government has programs for all remaining fighters, through its Enhanced Comprehensive Integration Program, de Guzman said.*