CAMP BANCASI, Butuan City: Detained Northeastern Mindanao Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army leader Ricardo Manili, alias “Joker,” died at around 6:55 p.m. Tuesday due to cardiac arrest, Major Ronald C. Putol, civil military operations officer of the Army 402nd Infantry (Stingers) Brigade said. The 402nd Brigade CMO officer said the former top CPP-NPA commander was pronounced dead by his attending physician at the Butuan Doctors Hospital here. Personnel of the Agusan del Norte Provincial Jail brought Manili to the hospital last Jan.12 due to hypertensive crisis but was declared comatose on Jan. 15. He was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit and was there until he died. Manili, the fourth most wanted person in the Caraga region, was the former secretary of the Guerilla Front Committee 4-A of the CPP-NPA North Central Mindanao Command and also alleged commanding officer of the CPP-NPA Regional Operational Command of NCMRC, Putol said. He was arrested on May 2, 2016 onboard a van with six companions in a joint Armed Forces-Philippine National Police-Commission on Elections checkpoint in Barangay Mat-i, Las Nieves, Agusan del Norte. Sezied from them were a homemade shotgun, a caliber .45 pistol, a 9mm pistol, anti-personnel mine, grenade, two blasting caps, three bolos, several rounds of ammunition, a medical kit, and subversive documents. (Mike Crismundo)
SINAIT, Ilocos Sur: A magnitude-5.5 earthquake rocked Northern Luzon Thursday afternoon. The local office of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the earthquake occurred at 4:34 p.m. and its epicenter located 26 kilometers southwest of Calayan, Cagayan with a depth of 27 kilometers. It was felt at Intensity 5 in Calayan; Intensity 4 in Aparri, Claveria, and Pamplona, Cagayan; Laoag City, Adams, Bacarra, Bangui, Batac City, Currimao, Dingras, Pagudpud, Pasuquin, San Nicolas, and Vintar, Ilocos Norte; Intensity 3 in Alcala, Cagayan and Cervantes and Sinait in Ilocos Sur; Intensity 2 in Peñablanca, Cagayan; and Intensity 1 in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur. The earthquake was tectonic in origin and aftershocks are expected. No damage to properties was reported. (Freddie G. Lazaro)
KALAMANSIG, Sultan Kudarat: Two Marines were wounded in an encounter with the New People’s Army here last Wednesday. Troops from the Marine Battalion Landing Team 2 were on board a KM 450 military truck passing by Sitio Ugangawon, Datu Ito Andong when an anti-personnel mine exploded. The blast was followed by a series of gunfire from the communist rebels positioned from high ground. Marines returned fire that lasted for five minutes, forcing the NPA to withdraw and flee. Pursuit operation was conducted after the encounter and an anti-personnel mine was recovered at the explosion site. Two Marines and undetermined number on the NPA side was wounded in the encounter. The commander of the Joint Task Force Central, Major Gen. Cirilito E. Sobejana, said troops will intensify their operations against NPA rebels that engage in terroristic acts. (Francis T. Wakefield)
CAMP BRIGADIER GEN. OSCAR M. FLORENDO, Parian, San Fernando City, La Union: A high-value target and member of a gun-for-hire group was arrested in a drug buy-bust operation conducted by the police in Barangay Guimod, Bantay, Ilocos Sur. Chief Supt. Romulo E. Sapitula, Ilocos police director, identified the suspect as Marvin Y. Macugay, 30, of Sta. Cruz, Sinait, Ilocos Sur, who is listed as Level 2 high-value target of the Philippine National Police and identified member of the Igne-Rosete gun-for-hire group operating in Region 1 and the National Capital Region. Seized from the suspect was one .38 caliber homemade revolver and eight live ammunition for caliber .38 revolver, one hand grenade, and two R500 bills used as buy-bust money. Macugay was arrested on Nov. 24, 2016 for violation of Republic Act No. 10591 or the comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act. (Liezle Basa Inigo)