MALAYBALAY CITY, Bukidnon (PIA)—Jorge Madlos, also known as Ka Oris, is dead at 72.

A slithery terrorist, who eluded capture by the military and police for decades, finally committed a fatal mistake Saturday. He forgot that while he was best in the foxy art of guerilla warfare—hit and run—he will never live a second to regret in a frontal fight with government forces.

Brigadier General Ferdinand Barandon, commander of the 403rd Infantry ‘Peacemaker’ Brigade (403rd Bde) Philippine Army said Ka Oris, with comrades who were in a rugged forest in Sitio Gabunan, Dumalaguing, Impasugong, Bukidnon, must have thought he was safe.

“Madlos placed landmines in his perimeters, an old tactic that even a plebe is already well aware of. At 72, murkiness must have done George Madlos in as he missed the fact that troopers are like war dogs. They are ready to pounce on prey hiding in crevices of even the roughest terrains. Besides, Air Force support is always handy to clear hazards leading to enemy territories,” Barandon said.

Dead with Madlos of bullet wounds was a woman medical aide. Their bodies were found at the scene of the early dawn firefight that lasted for some thirty minutes. All soldiers were unhurt, the Brigade Commander added.

Reports said there were about 30 rebels with Ka Oris at that time, but all fled the scene during the battle.

Barandon disclosed that Madlos was a high-ranking commander of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) not only in Mindanao but throughout the country “because he [Madlos] is the spokesperson of the National Operations Command and member of the CPP’s Executive Committee-Political Bureau known to them as Execom-Politburo.”

He added that the military is now tracking Madlos’ wife Myrna Sularte alias Maria Malaya, secretary of the NPA’s North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee, making her the highest-ranking rebel leader in the Caraga region.

This incident was learned during a press conference Sunday, at the headquarters of the 403rd Brigade in Malaybalay City.

Major General Romeo Brawner Jr, commander of the army’s 4th Infantry ‘Diamond’ Division (4ID), told media that it is about time that the NPA rebels should surrender, adding that time is running out for them.

Brawner’s advisory was very clear. The grim fact is, the 8th, 88th, and 1st Special Forces battalions of the 403rd Brigade plus other elements of the government with their armors, are in a blitzkrieg mood now to finish the rebels.

He explained that if the rebels do yield now, they will enjoy the livelihood benefits they will have for a lifetime.

“But if they are captured in an encounter, they will be jailed outright with no benefits. Instead, they will face criminal cases in court,” Brawner said. (RLRB/PIA 10-Bukidnon)