NPA guerrillas under the Lucio de Guzman Command in Mindoro island valiantly fought back at the counterrevolutionary operations against the masses by fascist troops of the 68th IBPA 203rd Infantry Brigade in Sityo Salafay, Barangay Monteclaro, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, and foiled a treacherous attack on an NPA unit as the Red Army was celebrating its 57th anniversary last March 29. In the battle that happened March 29, the commander of the fascist troops 1st Lt. Oyando was killed while two other soldiers were wounded. Earlier on March 24, in Sityo Danlog, Barangay Monteclaro, attacking fascist troops suffered three casualties while two others were wounded. The Red fighters were able to withdraw without a scratch.

The fascist soldiers have been engaged in intimidating, harassing and exploiting civilians.They also have a notorious record of spreading decadent culture including illegal drugs and prostitution wherever they set up military camps. When it set up camp in Sitio Mantay of Barangay Monteclaro, they exploited the Buhid women and paid the victims’ relatives to keep quiet.

Fascist troops cowardly attack Mangyan communities every time there is an operation. In the latest fascist operation, 112 Mangyan Buhid families or 500 people were forced to evacuate. The fascists impose martial law in the communities where the masses are forbidden to buy more than the daily needs of a family and are forbidden to go out of the community to visit their farms and eat, and even limit their time in the fields. They also force residents to haul supplies and fetch water for the fascist soldiers free of charge.

In an effort to turn the tables on the Red fighters and score propaganda points, fascists troops turned to civilians and arrested cultural activist Charlize Garzon who went to Mindoro to live with the Mangyans. She was accused as a member of the NPA-Mindoro and was photographed next to the equipment found in the battle.

The 203rd Infantry Brigade has been carrying out violent attacks against civilian communities throughout the island of Mindoro. Recently, Mindoreño and Mangyan Iraya farmers suffered from the fascist bombings in the mountains of Barangay Cabacao, Abra de Ilog, which took the lives of three Mangyan Iraya children and a young Jerlyn Rose Doydora, while the children's mother was injured.

188 families of Mangyan Iraya were forced to evacuate. Young researcher Chantal Anicoche, a Filipino-American, was also arrested in an operation, and falsely accused as a combatant. She has since been released and returned to the US after strong denunciations of her unjust arrest from human rights and concerned organizations.

In Negros Island, the Armando Sumayang Jr Command (ASJC-NPA) congratulated Red Commanders and Guerrillas for the series of successful military actions in the month of March, in celebration of the 57th anniversary of the New People’s Army (NPA) today on March 29.

The guerrillas conducted three harassment operations: on March 1, the detachment of the 15th IB was overrun in Proper Barangay Haba, Candoni; on March 9, the fascist troops of the same battalion camped in the middle of the community of Sityo Patol, Barangay Caliling, Cauayan, and were harrased and forced to flee; and on March 16, another fascist detachment was overrun in Sityo Tagaytay, Barangay Narra, Cauayan, driving away the soldiers. In addition, the ASJC-NPA obtained two weapons last March 12 and March 19 from counterrevolutionaries and evil elements who were disarmed after a guerrilla punitive operation.