10TH INFANTRY Division commander Brigadier General Allan Hambala ordered the dismantling of the remaining New People’s Army (NPA) members before Dec. 30 or else soldiers will have no Christmas and New Year’s break.
“But we have to do it, we have to do our best effort… pero mas maganda yung meron kaming target actually unlike kung wala lang,” Hambala said in an interview.
Hambala said soldiers must intensify efforts to dismantle the remaining 13 members of weakened Guerilla Front 57, which operates in Bukidnon and North Cotabato.
He also identified the commanders of the said group as alias Nikki, from Luzon, and the other one was the nephew of a high-ranking NPA leader Menardo Villanueva named Alias Joseph.
A year ago, Davao Region was declared as insurgency-free but the commander said their mission remains unfinished.
“May ibang [rebel group] from Bukidnon area naga guide sa kanila kaya mahirap hanapin,” Hambala said. “Meron kasi sila SMRC and weakened Guerilla Front 57, so nag sama-sama na.”
But the division commander added, “The good thing is mabilis mag-report ang ating kababayan siguro gikapuy napud sila (maybe they were tired already) [on NPA].
The 10th Infantry Division faces 16 guerilla fronts in Davao Region, Southern Bukidnon, part of North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, and Agusan del Sur.
