Prosperidad, Agusan Del Sur – The 401st Infantry “Unite N’ Fight” Brigade of the 4th Infantry “Diamond” Division, Philippine Army composed of the 3rd Special Forces Battalion, 75th Infantry Battalion and the 41st Division Reconnaissance Company launched a simultaneous Focused Military Operations (FMO) against elements of the Regional Operational Command (ROC) led by Edilberto Dabal Y Reponte aka Bong/Waco and Regional Sentro de Grabidad (RSDG) led by Judel Vertudazo Y Cayapos aka Janjalani/ Jerby of the Northeastern Regional Committee (NEMRC) on November 07, 2021 in the vicinity of P-4, Brgy. Villa Undayon, Bayugan City, Agusan Del Sur.
The 401Bde troopers carried out the successful FMO at around 12:05 noon when the 3SFBn troopers encountered more or less forty (40) CPP-NPA Terrorists (CNTs) of the said Communist Terrorist Groups (CTGs). Firefight lasted for about 45 minutes, after which the enemy tried to withdraw towards west direction but was intercepted by the 41st Division Reconnaissance Company where a firefight ensued for about five (5) minutes, then the CTGs tried to withdraw again towards southeast direction where other elements of the 3SFBn troopers encountered them where another thirty (30) minutes of firefight ensued.
The successive encounters resulted to the death of two (2) CNTs identified as certain @Joseph and @Kaykay, both members of RSDG and the recovery of two (2) high powered firearms, ammunitions, two (2) commercial radios, one (1) detonating switch, forty-five (45) meter detonating cord, two hundred (200) meter firing wire, one (1) piece pipe bomb (IED), seven (7) improvised firing device, one (1) piece portable generator, medical items, five (5) cellphones (keypad), blasting cap and backpacks w/ personal belongings. Blood stains were discovered in the encounter sites during the clearing operations believed to be from their wounded comrades.
It can be recalled that Brgy. Villa Undayon is one of the recipient barangays of the Barangay Development Program of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC). The civilian populace of the said barangay who have enjoyed relative peace and discarded CNT atrocities reported to proper authorities the presence of a large number of CNTs temporarily encamping near their area that later acted on by 401st Brigade.
Meanwhile, Brigadier General Allan D Hambala, the Commander of 401st Brigade said, “We launched the combat operations in swift response to the information voluntarily given by concerned local populace. The civilians in the barangay were alarmed by the presence of the armed groups and we deployed to ensure the safety and security of the people in Brgy Villa Undayon and the neighboring communities.”
“Again, I call on the members of the CPP-NPA to lay down your arms and surrender peacefully. Through the good programs of the NTF-ELCAC, we will help you live a peaceful life and be together with your families again. Do not suffer the same faith as those two CNTs who were killed today in the firefight. We will not hesitate to employ our resources to protect our peace-loving people and communities from your atrocities”- Hambala said. (RPN DXKS Surigao via CPT LINLEY MARL M DAJAO)