One of the killed personalities in last Thursday’s bloody encounter between the
Philippine Army and the rebels was the son of a notorious NPA leader, and
according to highly-placed military intelligence sources, his death would deal a heavy
blow on the future of NPAs in Bohol.
Military sources told The Bohol Tribune yesterday that following the heavy casualty
suffered by the communist-terrorists last Thursday, September 7, 2023, the
presence of NPAs in Bohol could end sooner than expected.
Six members of the New People’s Army (NPA) were killed in a firefight with
government forces in Barangay Campagao, Bilar, Bohol on Thursday morning.
One of them was identified as Zingler Villamor Compoc, 29, the son of Domingo
Compoc, alias Commander Cobra, a notorious rebel leader in the province.
According to a report by the Bohol Provincial Police Office (BPPO), Zingler Compoc
was recognized by his grandmother Rosita Villamor, a resident of Poblacion Sur,
Batuan, Bohol.
BPPO said that Zingler Compoc, also known as Ka Jigger or Ka Jigs, was among
the killed rebels.
The other slain rebels were identified as Ruben Nabas Samorano, 40, of Rizal,
Batuan, Bohol; Felisisimo Arcales Estañola, 67, of Maitom, Catigbian, Bohol; Nelson
Lumantas, 50, of Bayawahan, Sevilla, Bohol; and two others who remain unidentified
as of this writing.
The encounter occurred at around 7:30 a.m. in Sitio Ilaya, Campagao, Bilar, Bohol
when troops from the 47th Infantry Battalion and the BPPO encountered about 20
armed rebels.
The firefight lasted for about an hour and resulted in the recovery of six high-
powered firearms and several improvised explosive devices.
BPPO said that the rebels belonged to the NPA’s Central Visayas Regional Party
Committee (CVRPC) under Commander Cobra.
CVRPC has been responsible for several atrocities in Bohol and other parts of the
region.
KUMANDER COBRA
The Philippine Army has been intensifying its operations to capture Domingo
Compoc, alias Kumander Cobra, the top leader of the New People’s Army (NPA) in
Bohol.
Compoc is believed to be still in the province, leading the rebel group’s armed force
in the island.
Compoc’s son, Zingler Villamor Compoc, was among the six NPA members killed in
a series of encounters with government troops in Bilar, Bohol on Thursday,
September 7, 2023. The clashes also resulted in the seizure of seven high-powered
firearms and various ammunition and explosives from the rebels.
According to Lt. Col. J-Jay Javines, spokesperson and chief of Public Affairs Office
of the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, Zingler Compoc was the vice squad
leader of the remnants of the dismantled Bohol Front Committee.
He said that the Army is pursuing the remaining NPA rebels who escaped from the
firefight, including Domingo Compoc.
“We are confident that we will be able to neutralize Kumander Cobra and his cohorts
soon. We are appealing to the public to cooperate with us and report any suspicious
activities or persons in their areas,” Javines said.
He also urged the NPA rebels to surrender and avail of the government’s Enhanced
Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP), which provides financial and
livelihood assistance to former rebels who return to the fold of the law.
The NPA is a communist rebel group that has been waging a decades-long armed
struggle against the Philippine government. It is considered a terrorist organization
by the United States, the European Union, and the Philippines.
The military and the police said that they are conducting pursuit operations against
the fleeing rebels.
They also urged the public to report any suspicious persons or activities in their
communities.
VANISHING NPA
The CPP-NPA Terrorists’ attempt to regain influence in Bohol has once again failed,
as six of its members were killed, and seven high-powered firearms were seized in
six successive encounters with the Army’s Task Group Bohol and the 47th Infantry
Battalion in Sitio Ilaya, Barangay Campagao, Bilar, Bohol, on Thursday morning,
September 07, 2023.
According to LTC Magno Mapalad III, Commanding Officer of the 47IB, the troops
were conducting peace and security operations in response to the reported presence
of armed NPAs in the area, when they encountered about nine remnants of the
Bohol Party Committee, Komiteng Rehiyon-Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor (BPC KR-
NCBS) under Domingo Compoc, Alias Eloy/Jing/Cobra.
The firefight lasted for about seven minutes, after which the enemy withdrew towards
the south direction.
Another encounter occurred between the blocking force of the troops and the fleeing
NPAs in Sitio Ilaya at about 8:28 a.m.
The relentless pursuit operations of the troops against the fleeing enemy resulted in
another four consecutive encounters with the same group of NPAs in the same area.
These successive clashes resulted in the death of six NPAs, whose bodies were
recovered from different encounter sites in Sitio Ilaya, along with the seizure of five
(5) 5.56 rifles and two (2) AK47 rifles.
LTC Mapalad attributed the successful military operations to the vigilance and
cooperation of the Bol-anons in providing information to the troops about any
movement or attempt by the CPP-NPA terrorists to regain their influence in the
province.
“Any attempt by the NPA to regain influence with the people of Bohol will not
succeed because the people of Bohol are willing to support the soldiers by providing
noteworthy information on the whereabouts and activities of these NPA terrorists,”
Mapalad said.
“We urge the remnants of these NPAs to return to the folds of the law to avoid
experiencing the same fate as their comrades suffered in previous encounters,” LTC
Mapalad said.
On May 12, 2023, Alias Jasper, a political guide of NPA’s BPC, was also killed in an
encounter with government forces in Antequera, Bohol.
Military sources said that the son Zingler Compoc has been groomed to assume the
top leadership of NPA operations in Bohol.
“Ang iya amahan (Kumander Cobra) tigulang na. Karon patay na iya anak na
sinaligan. We don’t think magdugay pa ni sila (NPAs) sa Bohol,” intel sources said
on condition of anonymity.
“Sa Tagalog pa, bilang nalang ang mga araw ng NPA sa Bohol,” the source said.
ENDING INSURGENCY
The National Security Council (NSC) has welcomed the Catholic Bishops’
Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) as the first private sector representative to the
National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
National Security Adviser Eduardo M. Año said that the CBCP, through its Episcopal
Commission on Public Affairs, will join the NTF-ELCAC Executive Committee and
will work with the government in pursuing peace and development in all parts of the
country, especially in conflict-affected areas.
“We welcome the CBCP and we look forward to a productive engagement with them
in adopting moral and ethical approaches in addressing communist insurgency,” Año
said.
He added that the Church has an important role to play in ending violence and
terrorism in the country, which has been plagued by the communist armed conflict
for more than 50 years.
“With peace now in sight, the Church has an important role to play in ensuring peace
and development in the long term,” he said.
He also said that with CBCP in NTF-ELCAC, they can immediately address
concerns raised by the Church or by cause-oriented groups supported by them.
Fr. Jerome Secillano, the executive secretary of the CBCP’s Episcopal Commission
on Public Affairs, attended the NTF-ELCAC’s Executive Committee Meeting on
Thursday presided by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Malacañang.
The NTF-ELCAC is mandated to formulate a whole of government approach in
ending armed conflict in the country and to prioritize and streamline the delivery of
basic services and social development assistance in conflict-affected areas and
vulnerable communities. It is also tasked to facilitate societal inclusivity and ensure
active participation of all sectors of society in the pursuit of the country’s peace
agenda.
Año said that he sees the CBCP making a significant contribution in the development
of areas previously under NPA influence as well as facilitating societal inclusivity in
pursuit of peace.
He also said that under the Marcos Jr. administration, they are on the road to total
victory against the New People’s Army (NPA), which has only 20 remaining guerrilla
fronts left, 19 of which have been weakened.
“Given that we are now on the road to total victory, it’s necessary that we recalibrate
the way we do things and the entry of the CBCP to NTF-ELCAC is one of changes
we implemented under the Marcos Jr. administration,” he said.