Red fighters of the New People’s Army (NPA)-Quezon (Apolonio Mendozaa Command) carried out a daring ambush against a 30-strong unit of the 85th IB operating in Barangay Doña Aurora, Calauag yesterday, March 25, at 6 pm. Three of the fascist soldiers were reported injured.

According to the statement of Ka Cleo del Mundo, spokesperson of the NPA unit in the province, Red fighters blew up a command detonated explosive (CDX) at the 85th IB, with the clash lasting for 10 minutes. The NPA unit is safe, she said.

The ambush took place a few days before the end of March, which the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) leadership declared as another “deadline” to defeat the NPA units in the guerilla fronts. It also declared plans to crush all “vertical units” of the NPA by the end of June and the entire NPA by the end of 2024. The “deadline” was rescheduled after the last “deadline” of defeating the revolutionary movement by the end of 2023, and almost every year before that.

Ka Cleo congratulated the Red fighters who conducted the operation against 85th IB. “The military action of the NPA is proof that the aim of Gen. Romeo Brawner of the AFP and its commander in chief Marcos to destroy the revolutionary movement is a pipedream,” the spokesperson says.

It can be recalled that Quezon was also declared “insurgency-free” in June 2023 and categorized under “Stable Internal Peace and Security.”

To stand by their lie and cover up their failure, the 85th IB now falsely claims the attacking Red fighters were from Bicol. It even claimed that a certain Randy Reota alias “Bibo,” who was allegedly separated from the NPA unit, had “surrendered” to them in Barangay Abad, Calauag.

It also claimed of having seized an M16 rifle, ammunition and magazines, and CDX and other equipment at the scene of the ambush. This is a common tactic of the AFP to make it appear that they had the advantage in these armed offensives by the people’s army.