NPA Rebels Turn Over Two Abducted Soldiers, P25,000 to Duterte

Davao City (PNA) — The two soldiers held by the New People’s Army (NPA) as prisoners-of-war were released to Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday morning somewhere in Laak, Compostela Valley province.

Duterte then turned over Private First Class Niño Alavaro and Private First Class Marjon Anover to the Eastern Mindanao Command in Camp Panacan Tuesday afternoon.

Aside from the release of the soldiers, the NPA represented by Rubi del Mundo of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) – Southern Mindanao Region also turned over to Duterte the P25,000 money found in the possession of Loreto Mayor Dario Otaza and son Daryl, who were killed by the rebels in Butuan City last month.

Alavaro and Anover, who are members of the Reengineered Special Operations Team (RSOT) Alpha Company of the Philippine Army’s 25th Infantry Battalion, were abducted by the rebels at the checkpoint in Barangay Casoon, Monkayo, Compostela Valley last September 30.

Aside from abducting the two soldiers, a CAFGU Active Auxilliary (CAA) was also killed by the rebels in that operation. The Army reported that the CAA was the first to be flagged down by NPAs and killed. The soldiers were on board a motorcycle when they passed by the crime scene and were subsequently abducted.

Lieutenant Colonel Mitchel Anayron, Commander of 25IB, earlier said that civilian eyewitnesses recognized the leader of the NPAs as alias “Jinggoy” whose true name is Zaldy Cañete. (PNA) LAP/LILIAN C. MELLEJOR/LDP