Soldier flees NPA captors

DAVAO CITY: A Philippine Army soldier previously reported to have been captured by the New People’s Army (NPA) in Davao Oriental escaped from his captors, the Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) said.

Lt. Col. Jacob Thadeus Obligado, battalion commander of the 67th Infantry Battalion (67IB), said Army Corporal Johannes Parreño fled from his captors on Friday at about 11 p.m. and sought refuge among the village officials of Barangay Lambog in Manay town.

The village officials later turned him over to the Army’s 67IB detachment in the area.

Obligado said Parreño escaped while government troopers were conducting massive military operations in the area to rescue him.

Parreño, of the Army’s 28th Infantry Battalion, and a member of the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu) were forcibly taken by the NPA rebels on June 10, 2018 in Barangay Taguibo of Mati City.

The two were on their way back to their headquarters from Taragona town when abducted by the rebels who established a road blockade in the area.

The Cafgu member had escaped last July 6 after operating units of 701st Brigade encountered his captors in Langgawisan 1, Barangay Ompao in Taragona town.

“With the support of the local government officials and the people of Davao Oriental we have been tracking the abductors which became the basis of the sustained and relentlessly focused military operations to rescue our troops which eventually paid off,” Obligado said in a statement.

He admitted that the escape of Parreño and that of the CAFGU member are considered “seldom feat wherein NPA captives were able to escape from their captors without any negotiations.”