Manila, Feb. 13 -- The neutralization of ranking New People's Army (NPA) leader Myrna Sularte, alias Ka Maria Malaya, has created a major leadership vacuum in the ranks of the communist insurgents, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said Thursday.

"The neutralization of Ka Maria Malaya has created a significant leadership vacuum, leaving the NPA in disarray and severely demoralizing its dwindling forces. Without strong leadership, the remaining insurgents will struggle to coordinate their operations, further accelerating the collapse of their organization," he said.

Sularte, secretary of the NPA's Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee, was killed during an encounter with government troops in Barangay P...