A RANKING leader of the New People’s Army (NPA) was reported killed on Friday, Oct. 17, in an encounter with government troops in Norzagaray, Bulacan.
According to Army, combined elements of the 80th Infantry Battalion under the 2nd Infantry Division and the 70th Infantry Battalion under the 7th Infantry Division launched a joint operation following reports from residents about the presence of armed men in Sitio Balagbag, Barangay San Mateo.
A brief shootout ensued, resulting in the death of Jordan Mopon, also known as “Boyong”, tagged as an NPA leader involved in extortion and other terror activities in the CALABARZON region.
Troops recovered from the encounter site an M14 rifle, eight jungle packs, three sacks of assorted food supplies, and several subversive documents.
Security forces are conducting hot pursuit operations against the escaping insurgents.
The Jungle Fighter Division assured the public that security operations in the area will be intensified to thwart any attempts by communist rebels to disrupt peace and development initiatives in the region.
Earlier, authorities nabbed in Bustos, Bulacan a suspected NPA member facing multiple criminal cases.
Police identified the suspect only as alias “Zaldy” who was apprehended in Barangay Bonga Mayor by operatives from the Albay Police Provincial Office’s Provincial Intelligence Unit, the Police Regional Office–Central Luzon, and other partner agencies.
In a recent briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla reported that since January, the military has neutralized 1,542 rebel groups and their supporters.
