Philstar.com
February 14, 2025 | 12:35pm
MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines said on Thursday, February 13, that Myrna Sularte, spokesperson of the National Democratic Front (NDF) in Eastern Mindanao, had been killed in a clash with the military in Agusan del Norte.
Sularte, also known as Ka Maria Malaya, was reportedly killed in an armed encounter with troops of the 30th Infantry Battalion in Butuan City on Wednesday, February 12. The unit operates under the 901st Infantry Brigade, 4th Infantry Division.
The AFP alleged Sularte as a high-ranking New People's Army (NPA) officer in Northeastern Mindanao, particularly the Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee secretary. The NDF, to which she belonged, serves as the political arm engaged in peace negotiations with the government.
At a press conference on Thursday, Brigadier General Arsenio Sadural, commander of the 901st Infantry Brigade, said they confirmed Sularte's identity through cross-checking documents and photos, including a gunshot wound reportedly sustained in a previous encounter with the 68th Infantry Battalion in November 2023.
Sadural added that Sularte's siblings later arrived to claim her remains and are coordinating arrangements for her burial.
Based on their research, he said Sularte was around 70 years old and described her death as a significant loss for the insurgency, calling her the last remaining top-ranking officer of the NPA in Eastern Mindanao.
AFP Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. described her death as a "military success," claiming it would weaken remaining insurgents by leaving them without a leader.
According to the military, roughly 40 insurgents remain active in the area.
A mother and wife
Sularte was also the wife of the late Jorge Madlos, known as Ka Oris, who served as spokesperson for both the NDF and NPA in Mindanao.
Madlos was killed in a military operation in Bukidnon in October 2021, though Sularte previously disputed the military's account, claiming he was ambushed rather than killed in combat.
Their son, Vincent Isagani Madlos, was also reportedly killed in an encounter with government troops in Bukidnon in September 2022.
The military said Sularte had been facing multiple criminal cases, including murder, multiple murder, double homicide, robbery and frustrated murder.
What happened to peace talks
The government has also been urged to commit to negotiations with communist rebels.
Despite signing an agreement with the NDFP in November 2023 to seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict, military operations — including arrests and armed offensives against insurgents — have continued.
At the same time, there have been no significant updates on the supposed negotiations between the government and NDFP.
Peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) were terminated in 2017 under former President Rodrigo Duterte, where red-tagging intensified.
Under the Marcos administration, red-tagging remains widespread, with individuals being labeled as communist rebels for expressing criticism of the government.
Human rights defenders, including activists and lawyers, have also been subjected to red-tagging, whether by state forces or private individuals.
In recent months, the Philippine military has reported an increase in rebel surrenders and the arrest of NPA leaders in various areas, with some already being declared "insurgency-free" due to the reportedly diminished or absence of communist groups. — Dominique Nicole Flores
1 month ago
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