MACO, Davao de Oro (June 26, 2025) — Government troops have scored another significant victory in the campaign to end communist insurgency in Mindanao, following a major military operation that led to an armed encounter with fleeing elements of the NPA-Komisyong Mindanao (KOMMID), the surrender of 11 insurgents, and the seizure of multiple firearms and explosives.
The encounter occurred on June 19 in Santa Josefa, Agusan del Sur, as combined elements from the 25th and 60th Infantry Battalions under the 1001st Infantry (Pag-asa) Brigade, the 67th Infantry Battalion under the 701st Brigade, and military intelligence units intercepted KOMMID remnants attempting to evade government forces.
The operation resulted in the death of one unidentified communist terrorist group (CTG) member and the recovery of one M16 rifle and two improvised explosive devices (IEDs). In a significant development, 11 lie-low CTG members voluntarily surrendered to government troops, turning over three high-powered firearms, 12 low-powered firearms, two more IEDs, and subversive documents.
The successful military action stemmed from intelligence obtained after the arrest of eight armed KOMMID members and one surrenderer from the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee (SMRC) Executive Committee during a checkpoint operation in Bunawan, Agusan del Sur on June 13, 2025.
Brigadier General Felix Ronnie B. Babac, commander of the 1001st Brigade, commended the sustained cooperation among military units and the vital support of former rebels and residents of Barangay Sayon, Santa Josefa, whose timely information helped thwart insurgent movements in the area.
“Our total victory against KOMMID is not through chance and not through shortcuts. It is through sleepless nights, tireless days, courageous choices, and unshakable partnership,” said BGen Babac. “We cannot afford to go back to a time when insurgency was rampant and fear and deception reigned in our communities.”
He reiterated that the operations are part of the brigade’s commitment to preserving insurgency-free communities and advancing the 10th Infantry Division’s goal of dismantling all remaining CTG structures in its area of responsibility.
KOMMID has long been regarded as the central operational body of the CPP-NPA-NDF in Mindanao. It provided significant funding and logistical support through “revolutionary taxation” and extortion from mining, plantations, and business sectors.
Military officials view this recent blow against KOMMID as a major strategic defeat for the entire communist insurgency in the region — weakening its operational capacity and signaling a potential turning point in the decades-long conflict in Mindanao.