AFP foils CPP anniversary plenum, kills 3 rebels in Sultan Kudarat

Military offensives in Sultan Kudarat in Mindanao's Soccsksargen region on December 25th thwarted the Communist Party of the Philippines' founding anniversary celebrations and plenum set on the 26th, and left at three rebels dead.

In a statement on Saturday, Armed Forces' Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom) commander Lieutenant General Corleto Vinluan Jr. said the Joint Task Force (JTF) Central said that last Friday's offensives were timed as the CPP prepared to celebrate its 52nd founding anniversary.

“Our troops under the JTF Central launched air and ground offensives against the communist group under Emmanuel Fernandez, a.k.a. Bobo/Ampog/Aldok,” Vinluan said.

According to him, Fernandez was the secretary and head of the Regional Operational Command (ROC) of Far South Mindanao Region in Barangay Namat Masla in the town of Palimbang.

JTF Central commander Major General Juvymax Uy said three cadavers of some rebels were recovered in the area.

On Saturday, the military reported that a squad of the New People's Army --CPP's armed component -- was killed in a smart-bomb attack in Sultan Kudarat. 

“Based on an intelligence report, 29 terrorists were killed during the operation but we are still verifying this for we only recovered three cadavers in the area,” Uy said.

More or less 100 makeshift huts were destroyed in the operation, according to him.

Two high-powered firearms, two improvised explosive devices, two generators, personal belongings, and propaganda materials were also recovered from the area, he added.

Another report stated that the group’s top officials Emmanuel Fernandez and Dennis Dolonan, a.k.a. MacMac, were also killed during our all-out offensives, but, we are yet to confirm the veracity of this report,” he said.

“All I can affirm is that we were able to disrupt their assembly and their celebration of the CPP/NPA 52nd Founding Anniversary,” he added. —LBG, GMA News