Military says it has captured female NPA member after firefight in Batangas

A female member of the New People's Army (NPA) was captured by the military in San Juan, Batangas following an encounter on Monday.

Brigadier General Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr., commander of the Philippine Army's 202nd Infantry Brigade, on Tuesday said the military operation at Maquitib in Barangay Quipot preempted an atrocity in Region IV-A which the communist rebels were supposedly planning to conduct on May 1, Labor Day.

The military said the female communist could be the wife of alias Jethro who is the leader of the NPA remnants in the province.

According to the military, one soldier was wounded during the 20-minute firefight while "many other terrorists are believed to have died" after the encounter.

Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Manio, commander of the 1st Infantry Battalion, said the operation against the communists was conducted after a reliable source bared that NPA members will cause hostility in Batangas as part of the "left’s nationwide coordinated anti-government actions to commemorate Labor Day."

Security forces were able to recover one M653 rifle, one caliber .45 pistol, improvised explosive device, ammunition, other war materiel as well as documents with high-intelligence value.

Meanwhile, the captured NPA member will undergo custodial debriefing while appropriate charges are being prepared to be filed against her in court.

"The fact that the female NPA member was unharmed is a clear manifestation of your soldiers’ professionalism and adherence to internationally accepted conventions as well as rules of engagements," said Major General Rhoderick Parayno, commander of the Philippine Army’s 2nd Infantry Division. —Anna Felicia Bajo/KG, GMA News