Soldiers kill late NPA leader Jorge Madlos’ son in Bukidnon clash

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines – Soldiers killed the son of the late New People’s Army (NPA) leader Jorge “Ka Oris” Madlos and his wife in an encounter in Bukidnon over the weekend, officials confirmed on Sunday, September 4.

Major Francisco Garello Jr., the spokesperson of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, said Vincent Isagani Madlos was killed after he fought it out with soldiers from the 8th Infantry Battalion (IB) in Barangay Kapitan Bayong, Impasug-ong town in Bukidnon on Saturday afternoon, September 3.

The younger Madlos was the head of the National Communications Bureau of the NPA, according to the military.

Garello said the bodies of the younger Madlos and his wife Angie Polandres Salinas were found after the 15-minute gunbattle.

Soldiers found two AK-47 rifles, ammunition, and documents near the bodies, according to Garello.

Madlos’ father Jorge, the highest known ranking NPA leader in Mindanao before his killing, had served as the spokesperson of the National Democratic Front. He was killed by troops in the same mountainous area in Impasug-ong town in October 2021.

Rito, the younger brother of Jorge, confirmed that it was his nephew who died in the September 3 encounter.

“We recognized him through the photos published by the military,” Rito said.

Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Bacus, the commander of the 8th IB, said a small Army unit engaged the couple’s group in a “short but intense firefight.”

“It was a focused military operation, targeting the young Madlos,” Bacus said.

He said the bodies of Madlos and Salinas were brought to a mortuary in Malaybalay, the capital city of Bukidnon.

Unlike his father who was cremated, Vincent Isagani and his wife’s bodies were not tested for COVID-19.

Rito said he would claim the bodies.

“We want to bury them beside his father’s grave in Surigao,” Rito said. It was also him who came to Impasug-ong town to claim the cremains of the elder Madlos in 2021. – Rappler.com