BUTUAN CITY – Captain Jonel Castillo, the Civil Military Operations (CMO) Officer of the 901st Brigade of the Philippine Army, confirmed that Myrna Sularte, also known as Ka Maria Malaya, the top leader and secretary of the communist group Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC), New People’s Army and a member of the political bureau of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), was killed in an encounter with government forces in a rural area og Sitio Imelda, Barangay Antongalon, Butuan City, yesterday at around 1:20 PM.
Prior to that, a series of encounters occurred starting at 6:10 AM and 6:30 AM, where various items and equipment owned by Malaya’s group were recovered. In the afternoon, the rebels fired on the soldiers, leading to the encounter that resulted in the death of Ka Maria Malaya and the recovery of additional items.
Maria Malaya was the widow of Jorge “Ka Oris” Madlos, a prominent leader of the New People’s Army (NPA) National Operations Command (NOC), who was killed in October 2021 during an encounter in Bukidnon.
She operated in Caraga region and Northern Mindanao, and was responsible for various disturbances, including civilian killings, the destruction of government projects, and other illegal activities in the provinces of Surigao and Agusan.
She was a native of Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur, and was considered one of the most wanted NPA leaders in the country facing multiple criminal charges, including rebellion, murder, multiple murder, and frustrated murder.
