TACLOBAN CITY – The newly-installed commanding officer of the 93rd Infantry Battalion (IB) based in Kananga, Leyte, has vowed to sustain the gains of the government in its fight against insurgency and bring an end to the armed struggle in the province.
Lieutenant Colonel Celeste Frank Sayson, in his acceptance message, assured the leadership of the 8th Infantry Division (8th ID) that he will focus on neutralizing the remaining members of the New People’s Army (NPA) operating in Leyte.
“This assignment is not a challenge for me but an opportunity because I am blessed to be one among the few to finish our ISO (internal security operation) problem as we transition towards external defense,” LtCol Sayson said during the turnover held on Wednesday, July 2.
Prior to LtCol Sayson’s assumption, his predecessor LtCol Charlie Saclot led operations that resulted in the neutralization of a high-ranking NPA official in Carigara town.
On June 18, NPA executive committee member Juanito Sellesa Jr., alias Tibor, along with Eugene Paclita alias Dimple and Lito Laurente alias Dodong—leader and member respectively of Squad 2, Platoon 1, Island Committee LEVOX under the Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee—were killed in an encounter in Barangay Cogon, Carigara.
Sellesa, alias Tibor, was facing a murder charge for the killing of Jesus Sarcilla on December 7, 2021, in the upland village of Binibihan, also in Carigara.
Following the encounter, only seven members reportedly remain under the said NPA squad.
“To the remaining seven members, we are giving you an ultimatum: all or nothing, now or never. Surrender now because your remaining safe space is spending it with your family,” LtCol Sayson warned.
“Surrender now because we are facing a bigger challenge—a problem where our enemies are foreigners,” he added, referring to the military’s broader shift in focus toward external defense.
Maj. Gen. Adonis Ariel Orio, commander of the 8th ID, who presided over the turnover of command ceremony, expressed confidence in LtCol Sayson’s capability to lead the battalion with courage and dedication.
“We entrust this battalion to another capable, committed, and proven leader,” MGen Orio said.
“Lead this battalion with the same courage, compassion, and clarity that defines this command,” he added.
MGen Orio also commended outgoing commander LtCol Saclot for his significant contributions to the ongoing campaign to end local communist armed conflict in Eastern Visayas.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
