An officer of the rebel group New People’s Army (NPA) was allegedly killed after an exchange of gunfire with authorities in the town of Dupax Del Sur, Nueva Vizcaya on Saturday.
According to the authorities, the police and military would have served an arrest warrant on Rommel Tucay at his residence in Brgy. Kimbutan when the NPA official fought the government forces.
Tucay is said to be the secretary of the Sierra Madre Guerrilla Front Committee (KLG-SM) with the aliases “Isaac, Elmo, and David.”
Tucay was wanted in a multi-layered murder case in Nueva Ecija and Aurora.
A 9mm pistol, cellphones and tablets, handheld radios, flash drives, memory cards, books, and ID were recovered at the crime scene.
A former leader of the Aurora Provincial Committee and Central Luzon Regional Committee of the NPA was also arrested in Aurora province.
62-year-old Delfin Pimentel was arrested for charges of destructive arson and attempted homicide, issued by courts in Santiago City and Nueva Ecija.
Pimentel was first jailed in the provincial jail in 2009 for rebellion.
He was also the “most wanted person” of the PNP in 2009 and had a P2.6 million bounty on his head.
Alleged NPA official killed in Nueva Vizcaya
Pimentel was allegedly involved in the ambush of military officials in the province and the killing of 7 NPA members.
Early this month, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon says there is a shoot-to-kill order against armed NPA from President Duterte.
“Tama naman ‘yun dahil armado ang mga NPA na ‘yan. Alangan namang ang iisipin mo pa ay human rights. Isipin na natin kung paano natin sila matalo,” said Esperon.
Various Rights groups and activists condemned the killing of at least nine activists and the arrest of six others in police operations in Calabarzon on March 7.
Progressive groups claimed that the deadly crackdowns came after President Rodrigo Duterte announced during the joint meeting of the National Task Force – Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict in Northern Mindanao (NTF-RTF-ELCAC X) in Cagayan de Oro City to kill suspected rebels.
“We hold President Duterte and General [NTF-ELCAC spokesperson General Antonio] Parlade directly accountable for the killing and illegal arrest of these unarmed activists, as well as the brazen weaponization of search warrants and planting of evidence that were done to justify such actions. This adds to the long long list of atrocities committed by Duterte and his tyrannical, fascist regime,” said Bagong Alyansang Makaban (Bayan).