TACLOBAN CITY-About four alleged members of the New People’s Army (NPA) died in two arm clashes with the government troops in Catarman, Northern Samar on Sunday (May 28) afternoon.

The first encounter between the seven-member rebel group and soldiers belonging to the 43rd Infantry Battalion happened at about 2:10 pm in Barangay Mabini, Catarman.
The 15-minute firefight resulted to the death of two rebels who belong to the sub-regional unit, sub-regional committee emporium of the Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee(EVRPC) headed by Mario Sevillano, who is also known as alias Durok.

The rebels later withdrew in different directions with the soldiers immediately conducted a hot pursuit operation.

At about 3:47 pm, the soldiers headed by Lt. Ian Tolentino engaged the same rebel group in a five-minute fire fight in the vicinity of Mabini.

With the rebels withdrawing, the soldiers scoured the area and found two dead bodies of suspected rebels.

A Cal. 45 with two magazines loaded with ammunitions and two rifle 5.56mm M16A1 with three magazines were recovered by the government forces.

Meantime, an alleged top leader of the NPA operating in the region was arrested in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan on May 26, the 8th Infantry Division, based in Catbalogan City, Samar, said in its report on Sunday (May 28).

The arrested rebel leader was identified as Rosita Solayao Taboy, who is known as alias ‘Laling’ and said to be the former secretary of the regional organization department and a member of the executive committee of the EVRPC.

The report also identified the rebel leader as a staff of the national finance commission of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA.

Arrested with her was her husband, known as alias Beto, identified to be part of the national operations command of the communist armed group.

The couple, which faces several multiple criminal cases, was said to be living in Bulacan and was traced through a military intelligence report.

Several firearms were seized from them who were described by the military as responsible for several killing incidents and involved in ambuscades, including the burning of a communication tower in Catbalogan last Jan. 6,2000.

Major Gen. Camilo Ligayo, the commanding general of the 8th ID, said that the arrest of the couple is yet another indication that the insurgency problem in Eastern Visayas is weakening with the captured, or killed by its top leaders.

“The arrest of the couple….is another victory for the combined efforts of the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the pursuit of peace and security,” he said in a statement Sunday.

‘This is a great development in attaining justice in honor with the victims of violence perpetrated by the CPP-NPA in Eastern Visayas,” Ligayo added.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)

ORMOC CITY– An alleged top leader of the communist group in the region was arrested in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan on Friday (May 26).

Arrested by the combined forces of the Army and the Philippine National Police was Rosita Taboy, said to be a former member of the executive committee of the Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee.

Also arrested was her husband, alias Beto, and several firearms and ammunitions.
Taboy, who was also known as alias ‘Laling’ was also said to be a staff of the national finance commission of the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army – National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) while her husband belong to the national operations command of the CPP-NPA- NDF.

The two communist leaders were said to be involved in several atrocities in the region, including the burning of a telecommunication tower on January 6, 2000.
They were also behind an ambush incident on December 14,2010 that killed 10 soldiers and a nine-year old civilian.

Major General Camilo Ligayo, the commanding general of the 8th Infantry Division based in Catbalogan City, welcomed the arrest of the two rebel leaders.

“The arrest of a couple, alias Laling and alias Beto, is another victory for the combined efforts of PNP and AFP in pursuit of peace and security. This is a great development in attaining justice in honor of the victims of violence perpetrated by the CPP-NPA in Eastern Visayas,” Ligayo said in a statement.
(ROBERT DEJON)

At 7:22AM on 27 May 2023, power transmission grid operator NGCP successfully energized the Hermosa-San Jose 500-kiloVolt (kV) transmission line, an Energy Project of National Significance which will further improve the reliability of the Luzon transmission backbone.

Spanning the provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga, and Bataan, the project will strengthen transmission services and accommodate new bulk power generation from the Bataan area.
“The Hermosa-San Jose 500kV project is a major component in our planned Luzon 500kV transmission backbone. Despite many challenges, our teams worked 24/7 to complete this facility. With the energization of the line comes the improved transmission from generation sources towards the load center Metro Manila and nearby provinces,” said NGCP.

Besides the new transmission line from Bulacan to Bataan, the project includes the construction of a new Hermosa 500kV Substation, which will enable better voltage regulation and power transfer from existing 230kV facilities in the area.

The project was provisionally approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) with a cost of P10.2 Billion; however, the ERC has only allowed the partial recovery of P19 Million or less than 1% of the actual project cost. Given the urgent need to widen the transmission highway along the Bataan corridor, NGCP implemented the HSJ, setting aside for later, the issue on recovery approvals from the ERC.

“Our priority has and will always be doing, what is best for the public. Financial considerations can take a back seat and be threshed out later,” stressed Henry Sy, Jr., major stockholder and the company’s former president and CEO.

“We hope to correct the impression that the consumers are somehow shortchanged with how rates are computed. Our commitment has never wavered: we serve the public, and we work within the legal and regulatory framework of our concession and franchise,” Sy emphasized.

NGCP is slated to complete other critical projects in Visayas and Mindanao in the coming months. “Our stakeholders can be assured that we will continue our grid improvement, expansion, and reinforcement initiatives to deliver quality and reliable transmission services,” said NGCP. (PR)