In a press release signed by Ka Rio de la Montaña, regional spokesman of NDF, the revolutionary coalition said that the victorious tactical offensive against the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is "part of the revolutionary movement’s calculated punitive response (CPR)."

CPR, the NDF’s version of the government’s calculated preemptive response, was created to "give justice to the oppressed civilians" and will be carried out to selective targets, including the "notorious units" of the AFP, according to De la Montaña.

The spokesman added that the attack in Tuburan was made because of the alleged human rights violations committed by elements of the AFP’s 78th IB since 2002.

He also said that the Red fighters of the NPA’s Vicente Padayao Command, who staged the attack, returned to their unit safely.

The attack resulted in the death of three soldiers, identified as team leader Sgt. Orlando Luna, Cpl. Bobby Oscar Licono and PFC. Joseph Bingil, all members of the 78IB.

The rebels also fled with at least five M-14 and three M-16 rifles, several rounds of ammunition and the soldiers’ personal belongings.

Centcom spokesman Lt. Col. Jefferson Omandam disclosed that soldiers have been fielded to go after the rebels even as the Philippine Navy (PN) assigned troops to keep an eye on the seawaters off Cebu to monitor the activities of the rebels who might flee to nearby island provinces.

"We expect a bloody encounter when we find them (rebels) and I hope that they are prepared for that," Omandam said as he urged the public to cooperate with the government in identifying the hideouts of the rebels.

The rebels, reports indicated, were able to stage the attack undetected because they used short firearms and also fired at another member of the team, identified as PFC Roger Dagundon, who fled on foot to the town proper to report the incident to the Tuburan Police Station more than 10 kilometers away.

They also missed PFC Merayo who managed to seek cover in the shrub.

Cebu provincial police office (CPPO) director Vicente Loot said random checkpoints have been set up in various towns of the province, especially in the mid-north area, to avert further attacks.