A high-ranking New People’s Army leader in Southern Mindanao was killed during an encounter with government forces in Barangay Kapatagan, Laak, Compostela Valley Wednesday.
Lt. Gen. Felimon Santos Jr., commander of Eastern Mindanao Command, identified the NPA leader as Marjun Taba, also known as “Hiker,” who serves as deputy secretary of the CPP-NPA Sub-regional Committee 4, Southern Mindanao Regional Committee.
Santos said Hiker was neutralized in a brief skirmish after the NPA leader resisted arrest and challenged military and police personnel who were out to serve six arrest warrants for the crimes of murder, attempted murder, rebellion, serious illegal detention, double murder and double frustrated murder in his safe house.
Santos said efforts have been exhausted by the local government units, his family and the 1001st Infantry Brigade for his peaceful surrender but the communist leader refused.
“Notwithstanding the local government, our units on the ground, and his family’s efforts for him and his NPA cohorts to surrender, they continued to be with the terrorist group and continuously terrorize communities in the boundaries of Compostela Valley, Agusan del Sur, and Davao del Norte,” he said.
“We are offering them to peacefully surrender, if they refuse and continue with their violent means, we will employ all legal means to run after them. They can never run away from the long arm of the law, more so with the strong resolve of the government to end the armed conflict,” Santos added.
Recovered from the encounter site was Taba’s cadaver alongside his cal .45 pistol, and two International Humanitarian Law banned anti-personnel land mine.
Hiker is the 34th NPA’s High Value individual to be neutralized in 2019.