Just two weeks after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared the total defeat of Communist insurgents in his State of the Nation Address, the New People’s Army (NPA) has reported a deadly encounter with government forces in Oriental Mindoro, resulting in the deaths of three soldiers, including a unit commander from the elite First Scout Ranger Regiment.
The clash occurred on Tuesday, August 12, in Barangay Lantuyang 2, Baco town. According to a statement released by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the NPA fighters successfully repelled an offensive by Scout Rangers, killing 1Lt. John O. Alberto and two enlisted personnel. The CPP claimed no casualties on their side during two separate firefights in the area.
The fatality, 1Lt. Alberto, reportedly died instantly from a headshot during the second encounter. He was identified as the son of former Philippine Army commanding general Macairog Alberto, a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1986. The younger Alberto was also a PMA graduate, with some reports listing his rank as captain at the time of death.
The other fatalities were identified through social media posts as Corporal Charlie Lagasi and Private Julian Oracion. One died at the scene, while the other succumbed to injuries en route to a hospital. Three other soldiers were reportedly wounded.
CPP chief information officer Marco Valbuena said the NPA unit was able to “counter-encircle” the attacking government troops, allegedly with support from residents. He described the operation as a defensive maneuver in response to what he called the Marcos administration’s “martial law” tactics in Mindoro.
Valbuena accused government forces of committing human rights violations and waging a “fascist rampage” across the island, citing recent incidents including:
– The killing of a peasant activist in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro on August 1
– The alleged torture and execution of two NPA fighters captured by the 1st Infantry Battalion on August 7
The CPP also linked the military’s intensified operations to efforts to suppress resistance against large-scale mining, plantation, and energy projects backed by foreign interests. These ventures, the group claimed, are displacing peasant communities and indigenous Mangyan groups, while causing environmental destruction.
Valbuena said the NPA’s victory in Baco is expected to galvanize local resistance. “The just ire of the broad masses of Mindoro is being roused by the crimes and abuses of Marcos’ fascist troops,” he said. (ZIA LUNA)
