• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Philippine Army has vowed to intensify its focused military operations against remnants of the New People’s Army (NPA), following a series of more killings in Negros Occidental, allegedly carried out by communist rebels against civilians accused of being government informants.
Brig. Gen. Jason Jumawan, commander of the 302nd Infantry Brigade, said on Saturday that the military would continue pursuing rebel remnants responsible for what he described as atrocities against civilians.
“In recent weeks and months, you have witnessed how the NPA has executed liquidations of individuals, including alleged informants or those thought to be linked with government forces,” Jumawan said.
“We cannot allow these atrocities to persist, and therefore we must guarantee their safety from the terrors of the NPA,” he added.
The rebel remnants under the Roselyn Jean Pelle Command operating in northern Negros have claimed responsibility for two separate “punitive actions” that resulted in the deaths of civilians accused of being military informants.
The first victim, identified as 53-year-old Jemar Mahusay, was killed on May 5 in Barangay Dolis, Calatrava, while Gerry Baitan was slain on May 13 in Barangay Minautok, also in Calatrava.
Meanwhile, the NPA’s Romeo Nanta Command claimed responsibility for the killing of Joseph Agustin, a former member of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army–Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB), on May 19 in Barangay Santol, Binalbagan, Negros Occidental.
Jumawan said government troops would continue sustained operations against rebel remnants behind the recent killings.
The Army official also linked slain rebel leaders in Toboso and Cauayan to a series of attacks on civilians in Negros.
According to reports from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Roger Fabillar, also known as ‘Jhong,’ who was among the 19 suspected rebels killed in an encounter on April 19 in Barangay Salamanca, Toboso, was allegedly involved in the killings of at least 36 civilians, farmers, and laborers in northern Negros since 2025.
Jumawan also identified Vince Francis Dingding, 30, as another key rebel figure allegedly responsible for multiple killings in southern Negros. Dingding, who was claimed by the NPA in an issued statement as a secretary of the South West Front of Komiteng Rehiyonal-Negros, was killed during an encounter in Cauayan on May 16.
An alumnus of University of the Philippines Cebu, Jumawan said Dingding reportedly joined the rebel movement in 2017 and later operated in southern Negros.
Jumawan said Dingding was part of the NPA’s core group of policymakers in southern Negros and allegedly participated in decisions involving liquidation activities and the burning of heavy equipment.
He further disclosed that the NPA’s Southeast and Southwest Fronts in Negros had merged due to dwindling rebel numbers. The five rebels killed in the Cauayan encounter were reportedly affiliated with the merged groups.
Jumawan, whose operational jurisdiction covers southern Negros, also expressed gratitude to local government units for supporting the military’s campaign against insurgency in the province.*
