3 NPA rebels killed in North Cotabato firefight — police

NORTH COTABATO, Philippines — A combined police-military team killed a wanted regional New People’s Army official and two commanders in a brief clash in President Roxas town on Monday morning.

Buenaventura Dawal, executive committee chairman of the NPA's self-styled Southern Mindanao Regional Command, and two companions, Menandro Villanueva and a certain Alambro, all died on the spot.

Local officials in North Cotabato’s adjoining President Roxas, Arakan and Magpet towns said Villanueva and Alambro were both NPA commanders who had a reputation for excessive collection of monthly “protection money” from farmers in the province

Dawal and Villanueva were wanted for multiple murders, armed robbery and other heinous offenses.

The military in 2014 referred to Villanueva as secretary of the SMRC and linked him to a landmine explosion that hit a convoy of ambulances in Davao Del Sur. According to a 2010 report on GMA News Online, Villanueva was also supposedly being hunted by the NPA "for allegedly failing to remit permit-to-campaign fees."

Combined personnel of the Police Regional Office-12, the Army’s 602nd Infantry Brigade and intelligence agents from the 6th Infantry Division were to serve Dawal and Villanueva a warrant for their arrest in Barangay Sarayan in President Roxas but killed them instead, saying the three shot at them and sparked a firefight.

The raiding team was armed with an arrest warrant from the Regional Trial Court Branch 9 in Malaybalay City in nearby Bukidnon province, signed by Judge Ma.Theresa Camannong.

Police Col. Henry Villar, director of the North Cotabato provincial police, said police recovered an M16 assault rifle, a .30-cal Carbine rifle and a .45 caliber pistol.

He said the President Roxas municipal police and vigilant local leaders were instrumental in leading the raiding team to the exact location of Dawal and Villanueva in Barangay Sarayan.