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John Unson - Philstar.com
March 23, 2026 | 6:21pm
The combat weapons seized by soldiers after a brief clash with New People's Army guerillas in Lanuza, Surigao del Sur are now in the custody of the Army's 36th Infantry Battalion.
Photo courtesy of Philstar.com / John Unson
COTABATO CITY— Two New People’s Army guerrillas, part of a group allegedly collecting “revolutionary tax” from hapless villagers on a periodic basis, were killed in a brief encounter with soldiers in Barangay Nurcia in Lanuza, Surigao del Sur on Sunday, March 22.
Local executives and leaders of indigenous communities in Surigao del Sur told reporters on Monday that one of the two NPA fatalities, Ronnie Salahay, had long been planning to surrender to the Army’s 36th Infantry Battalion but remained with the group after leaders allegedly threatened to have members of his family in Sitio Banahao in Barangay Maitum, Tandag City, Surigao del Sur, killed if he pledged allegiance to the government.
Salahay and another cadre, whose real name the military and police have withheld pending efforts to contact his family, were killed in a gunfight with personnel of the 36th IB who were dispatched to a secluded area in Barangay Nurcia to verify reports from villagers about their presence in the area, along with nine other companions, who were allegedly collecting money from residents at gunpoint.
Col. Glenn Joy Aynera, commander of the 401st Infantry Brigade, and his subordinate officer, Lt. Col. Joselito Ante Jr. of the 36th IB, told reporters that the gunfight in Barangay Nurcia erupted when the NPAs opened fire on soldiers who were investigating their reported presence in the area, as well as allegations that they had been forcing villagers to shell out cash as “revolutionary tax” and to provide rice and canned goods.
Soldiers had confiscated an AK-47 Kalashnikov rifle, an M60 machine gun, two M16 assault rifles, and components for improvised explosive devices found around the cadavers of Salahay and his companion, which were abandoned by their comrades who hastily fled when they sensed that additional personnel of the 36th IB were closing in.
The retreating NPAs were seen by villagers carrying three wounded companions, known in Barangay Nurcia as Ruben, Ador, and Rolando, as they fled toward a hinterland in their municipality.
