A high ranking leader of the New People’s Army (NPA) wanted for numerous crimes and his companion were killed Sunday morning after allegedly attacking a police-military team at their safehouse in Laak, Compostela Valley.
Capt. Jerry Lamosao, the spokesperson of the Philippine Army’s 10th Infantry Division, identified the fatalities as Jay Mendoza, alias Pogs, and Bryan Ondoy.
A member of the Executive Committee of the Sub Regional Committee 2 (SRC2) of the NPA’s Southern Mindanao Regional Committee (SMRC), Mendoza was the head of its Regional Special Operations Group (RSOG) and the deputy secretary of the SRC2’s Guerilla Front 2, Lamosao said.
Lamosao said Mendoza was responsible for the death of several military and police officers, including two army officers, 16 soldiers, and even former comrades who left the underground movement from 2006 until 2018.
Mendoza, the officer added, was involved in the 2016 attack of the town police office and the subsequent abduction of its police chief in Gov. Generoso, Davao Oriental; the 2014 attack of the Dasia Security Agency office in Tagum City, Davao del Norte; the 2012 burning of mining equipment, vehicles, and office of APEX mining in Maco, Compostela Valley, and numerous extortion activities in the region.
Ondoy, on the other had, was among the drug personalities under the police watchlist in Laak.
1Lt. Amadeuz VJ Celestial, the Civil-Military Operations officer of 60th Infantry Battalion, said members of Laak town police station, with the assistant of the military, conducted an operation after learning that Mendoza was sighted at Barangay Bagong Silang in Laak.
The operatives were armed with four warrants of arrest against Mendoza when they went to the area around 6 a.m. Sunday.
Mendoza, according to the military, was facing charges of murder, double murder with double frustrated murder, robbery in band, and serious illegal detention, among others, before various courts in the region.
While approaching the site, the operatives claimed a volley of fire greeted them.
This prompted them to return fire, resulting to the death of the two men.
Authorities recovered two caliber .45 pistols, one Uzi sub-machine gun with magazine and live ammunition, one fragmentation grenade, one blasting cap, one meter detonating cord, and one mobile phone in the possession of the suspects.
