MERIT MEDAL. Maj. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, commander of the Philippine Army's 3rd Infantry Division, pins the military merit medal on a soldier of the 79th Infantry Battalion at the battalion headquarters in Sagay City, Negros Occidental on Friday (July 8, 2022). He was part of the Philippine Army's 79th Infantry Battalion that captured an officer of a dismantled New People's Army faction in Calatrava town on July 6. (Photo courtesy of Philippine Army 3ID) BACOLOD CITY - Twenty soldiers belonging to the Philippine Army's 79th Infantry Battalion (IB) have received merit medals for carrying out a successful operation against the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) in Calatrava, Negros Occidental on July 6. Maj. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, pinned the medals on an officer and 19 enlisted personnel in rites held at the battalion headquarters in Sagay City on Friday. "I want to ensure that my troops will always be in the highest state of morale by giving them medals and due recognition for what they have worked hard for. I came here not to inspire you to do more, rather I am more inspired by what you do," he said in a statement on Saturday. On Wednesday afternoon, the troops captured Isabel Necesario (also known as Isabelle/Maoline/Nads/Diane/Idel), 41, the deputy secretary of the NPA's dismantled Northern Negros Front, following a clash with about seven communist rebels in Sitio Banwa Minatay, Barangay Marcelo. Necesario, who was placed under the custody of Calatrava Municipal Police Station, has a pending homicide case. During the clearing operation, the soldiers recovered several firearms with live ammunition along with various supplies such as mobile phones, pocket wifi units, medicines, food items, subversive documents, and cash. Lt. Col. J-Jay Javines, commander of the 79IB, earlier said the locals provided information to the troops on the presence of the NPA rebels, prompting his men to immediately respond. The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. The National Democratic Front has been formally designated as a terrorist organization by the Anti-Terrorism Council on June 23, 2021, citing it as "an integral and inseparable part" of the CPP-NPA created in April 1973. (PNA) }