Top NPA leader, 3 others slain in Agusan del Sur clash

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines — A high-ranking communist rebel leader and three other guerrillas were killed in an armed clash with government troops in Barangay Bakingking, Esperanza, Agusan del Sur, the military reported Saturday.

The 4th Infantry (Diamond) Division identified one of the four slain Communist NPA Terrorists (CNTs) as Julia Cagadas, alias “Rheda,” who serves as the secretary of the North Central Mindanao Regional Committee (NCMRC) and a top New People’s Army leader in Region 10.

Maj. Gen. Marion T. Angcao, commander of the 4th Infantry Division, is scheduled to lead a press conference on Sunday, September 13, at the 403rd Infantry Brigade headquarters in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon, to disclose further operational details surrounding the encounter. /cb