A MID-DAY encounter on Sunday, Feb. 15, resulted in the death of a high-ranking rebel commander.
The 8th Infantry Battalion confirmed that the slain insurgent was Bonifacio Lutawan , known by the alias Tado.
Lutawan served as the commanding officer of the Regional Operational Command (ROC) of the North Central Mindanao Regional Committee (NCMRC).
Lutawan’s identity was verified by former rebels (FRs) after troops extracted his remains from the rugged terrain of Sitio Tacocon, Barangay Kasapa II.
According to declassified military documents, Lutawan was a high-value individual with a significant bounty on his head.
Official records from the DND-DILG Joint Order on Reward (JOR) Number 17-2019 list Lutawan as facing multiple grave charges, including double murder, multiple frustrated murder, and murder, with a standing reward of P4,750,000.
The firefight erupted when strike teams of the 8th IB, acting on intelligence, intercepted a group of Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) members.
The assault forced the remaining insurgents to retreat into the dense forest, abandoning Lutawan.
Upon clearing the site, soldiers recovered one M653 high-powered rifle and pieces of military equipment and subversive documents.
