“JUSTICE is served.”
Brigadier General Inocencio Pasaporte, commander of 303rd Infantry Brigade, said this as he confirmed yesterday, October 11, the death of Romeo V. Nanta alias Juanito Magbanua, Juaning or Jack, a high ranking official of the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG).
Pasaporte said that the troops of 94th Infantry Battalion (IB) was conducting hot pursuit operations in the area of Sitio Amedeo at Barangay Carabalan in Himamaylan City at about 5 p.m. Monday, October 10, when they encountered about 10 members of the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG).
After 10 minutes of exchange of fires, the CTG members fled leaving Nanta’s body behind, he said.
Pasaporte added that Nanta was the commanding officer of the Regional Operational Command of the Komiteng Rehiyon – Negros and the spokesperson of the Apolinario Gatmaitan Command.
Found in his possession were a .45 calibre pistol converted to .9mm pistol, six live ammunition, a magazine for the same calibre, a backpack, cellular phones and other personal belongings.
Military records showed that Nanta was previously arrested in 2011 for criminal cases such as murder, frustrated murder, robbery and damaged to properties but was bailed out by his comrades.
The slain rebel leader is also directly and indirectly responsible for the death of soldiers, policemen, Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit members and innocent civilians and is also responsible for the ambush of the policemen in Binalbagan early this year, military records also showed.
“The death of Nanta is a big blow to the terrorist group as he is responsible in various atrocities aimed to intimidate businesses, quarry operators, contractors, local officials and agrarian reform beneficiaries in Negros Island to give in to their extortion demands,” Pasaporte said.
A notorious terrorist’s leader with a numerous warrant of arrests that makes him the most wanted terrorist in Negros Island, he also said.
Pasaporte stressed that Nanta’s death would clearly serve as a reminder that no one can escape the long arm of the law, saying that hopefully, it would lead to the realization of other members of the CTG that their only option is to return to the fold of law.
“Again, I am calling remaining members of the NPA terrorists to surrender, return to the folds of the law and embrace a peaceful life and take advantage of the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-Clip) being offered by our government which will help you as you return to live a normal life,” the army official reiterated.
For their part, the Apolinario Gatmaitan Command of the New People's Army (NPA) called the death of Nanta as a “cold-blooded murder” and not an encounter.
Under the laws of war, the rebels said Nanta should have been accorded the status of hors de combat (combatants who are not in a position to fight), adding that his rights should have been respected and treated with humanity.
“How could there be an encounter when only four shots and a crying child were heard from the vicinity where he (Nanta) was staying at about 5:45 in the afternoon? How could there be an encounter when there was no NPA unit in the area at the time?” they asked.
Suffering from hypertension and arthritis, the claimed Nanta chose to stay at Sitio Medel to closely monitor the situation of the masses while the NPA unit maneuvered away from the area after the October 6 encounter, they said.
“The last time he was in contact with comrades, he was very concerned about the martial law imposed in Himamaylan’s mountain barangays (and) he still wanted to engage with the media to expose the brutality perpetrated by state forces and debunk numerous lies peddled by the army,” the rebels noted.
They said that this is a day of mourning for all comrades, revolutionary forces, friends and family and especially the exploited and oppressed masses, not only in Negros but the whole country.
The rebels vowed to “exact justice for the cold-blooded murder of Ka Juanito Magbanua and for all victims of state terrorism” allegedly perpetrated by the army and Philippine National Police by carrying on with intensive and extensive guerrilla warfare based on an ever widening and deepening mass base.
“The revolutionary movement in Negros must launch greater resistance to heightened oppression and exploitation in the island and achieve victories in armed struggle, agrarian revolution and building the organs of political power,” the rebels urged.
Following the clash on Saturday, October 8, Corporal Christian Drilon of San Enrique town in Iloilo, and Corporal Rex Verde of Guimaras province died while they were being treated at the Riverside Medical Center in Bacolod City.
Aside from them, Corporal Joey Gardose, Private First-Class Rolly Rama, June Fuentes, Wilson Liander and Wilchor Recaña as well as Sergeant Edgiel Ucag were also wounded when they were hit by enemy fire.
The encounter on Monday is already the fifth in a series of gun battle in the southern Negros Occidental city since last Thursday causing thousands of residents to flee their homes.
Due to the armed conflict, the southern Negros Occidental locality is now under a state of calamity.
Some 15,024 residents of Barangays Carabalan, Cabadiangan, and Barangay 3 in the city were evacuated due to the ongoing combat operations in their areas.
Vice Mayor Justin Silos Gatuslao, in his social media account, said that the declaration by the City Council placing the city under a state of calamity, as recommended by Mayor Raymund Tongson and the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, may now allow the local government to utilize its Quick Response Fund.
It also enables the release of national calamity funds to agencies involved in relief operations, he added.*