RETRIEVAL | Community volunteers help retrieve the bodies of suspected New People鈥檚 Army rebels slain in a military operation in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon, on Dec. 25, 2023. (Photo by ROMEO LEDDA / Contributor)
ILIGAN CITY, Lanao del Norte, Philippines 鈥� Two leaders of the communist New People鈥檚 Army (NPA) and their daughter were among those killed in the Christmas Day operation launched by the military against rebels in the hinterlands of Malaybalay City in Bukidnon province.
The Army鈥檚 4th Infantry Division on Thursday said they were able to identify seven of the 10 fatalities, based on profiles they had of the suspected rebels and with the help of rebel returnees who now work with the military鈥檚 counterinsurgency effort.
Among the seven, Beverly Sinunta, alias 鈥淎yang,鈥� was identified to have served as the secretary of the NPA鈥檚 subregional command (SRC) 2 which operates in Bukidnon while her husband, Alfredo Banawan, alias 鈥淎lab,鈥� served as the deputy secretary, according to Lt. Col. Anthony Bacus, commanding officer of the Army鈥檚 8th Infantry Battalion.
The SRC 2 is under the NPA鈥檚 North-Central Mindanao Regional Committee.
Bacus identified the third fatality as the couple鈥檚 daughter, Chen-chen Banawan, also known as 鈥淧ao鈥� and 鈥淐hin2.鈥� All three hailed from Sitio Trukat at Barangay Cawayan in Quezon, Bukidnon.
The other fatalities were Penita Singaman, alias 鈥淧ening,鈥� of Barangay Kalasungay in Malaybalay City; Bebot Solinay, alias 鈥淟igid,鈥� of Barangay Bulonay in Impasugong, Bukidnon; Aurelio Gonsalez, alias 鈥淎lvin,鈥� Barangay Kalasungay, Malaybalay; and a certain Loue who is said to be from Agusan.
Army officials had yet to provide other personal details of the fatalities at press time Thursday.
With the help of community volunteers, government troops retrieved the 10 bodies on Tuesday from Sitio Kieto at Barangay Can-ayan in Malaybalay and brought these to Villanueva Funeral Homes at the city center where these were processed for identification.Bacus said he had been closely coordinating with different intelligence communities and rebel returnees so they could identify the other bodies.
The Army has also informed the families of the slain NPA fighters and has coordinated with the police and the local government for the proper disposition and turn-over of their remains.
Zambonga encounter
In Zamboanga del Norte, Army soldiers clashed with NPA rebels in Sergio Osme帽a town, in the boundary with Misamis Occidental province, around noon Thursday. The firefight lasted 15 minutes, reports said.
Lt. Col. Terence Ylanan, commanding officer of the Army鈥檚 53rd Infantry Battalion, told the Inquirer that three rebels died in the clash.
Ylanan added that a gunfight on Wednesday night in the same area also killed one rebel.
The slain NPA fighters in Zamboanga del Norte had yet to be identified on Thursday.