The band of rebels that was killed in an encounter with the Army’s 15th Infantry Battalion was responsible for multiple killings of civilians in southern Negros Occidental province, the military said.
302nd Infantry Brigade commander Brigadier General Jason Jumawan told reporters on Sunday, May 17, that the five rebels who were killed in a series of armed engagements with the brigade’s ground unit were responsible for the killings of at least 23 civilians in 2025, so far three this year, accused of being military spies.
He identified the rebels as Rolando Dantes, alias “Anyo”, commanding officer of the NPA’s South West Front (SWF); Jobert Casipong, alias “John”, medical officer; Gilbert Tingson, alias “Ryan”; Alex C. Languita, alias “Axel”; and Vince Francis Dingding, alias “Poy”.
The encounter began around 5:30 am, then again around 6 am, followed by one at 2 pm, and a fourth firefight around 5 pm on Saturday, May 16. It occurred in an isolated sub-village of Barangay Abaca and later extended to the community of Busai in Barangay Poblacion, which borders the village of Man-uling, all within the same town.
“Before this encounter happened, even last year, there had been a series of liquidations that happened here, and this group of rebels is responsible for the series of killings. Just last year, they had killed 23 civilians in the area of southern Negros, and three this year,” he said.
Jumawan said that according to their witnesses, they pinpointed Dantes and Casipong as the gunmen, “that’s why we have conducted a series of brigade operations.”
He added that the “intention of the operation was to pressure the armed group to surrender, it just so happened that, unfortunately, there was a loss of lives.”
Among the notable killings admitted by the NPA was the death of Ariel Calumboy, a village councilor in Tambad, who was shot outside his home on November 3, 2025.
The military seized high-powered firearms, including an M60 machine gun, an M14 rifle, four M16 rifles, and an M203 grenade launcher, along with a grenade and four backpacks containing personal belongings.
As of the time of posting, the families of Dantes and Tingson confirmed that their loved ones were members of the NPA. However, the Casipong family has not yet come to terms with the fact that their loved one was a rebel, as alleged by the military.
The two – Languita and Dingding – have yet to be claimed. Languita is from Negros Oriental, while Dingding is from Cebu.
Brigada sources said that Dingding’s family is about to go to the funeral parlor to confirm whether it is him.
‘Safe’ town
Town Mayor John Rey Tabujara said that a total of 162 individuals, or 44 families, had earlier sought refuge at the evacuation center in Barangay Man-uling after residents of three of its sub-villages heard gunshots. Just before dusk, an additional 30 families from Barangays Abaca and Poblacion also sought refuge.
He added that despite the reported armed encounters and killings in the town, he still considers the locality “safe.”
The mayor added that he is convinced the encounter was “legitimate,” saying it was carried out with the cooperation of the local populace, and condemned the killings.
“The Local Government of Cauayan strongly condemns the violence, intimidation, and disturbance caused by the New People’s Army (NPA) following the recent armed encounters in Barangay Abaca and Barangay Man-uling,” a portion of the press statement read.
Tabujara said that a stress debriefing had been conducted for the evacuees to process their individual experiences.
Meanwhile, the military has confirmed that all evacuees have been sent home.*
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, maintains a personal blog on Medium, and is the communications officer of Hope Builders Organization Negros Island.