Remember when a young man and his cousin were killed by the NPA and it was portrayed as a tragic random encounter because he rode his bicycle over a landmine? It turns out he was actually targeted!
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147224 |
Kieth Absalon, the football player from Far Eastern University (FEU) who was killed on June 6 in a New People’s Army (NPA) attack in Masbate, was specifically targeted due to his popularity and active promotion of sports among the youth that was contrary to the advocacy of communist terrorist groups (CTGs).
This was revealed by National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. at the recent virtual presscon of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
“Why? Because they found out that Kieth is actively promoting sports and activities for the well-being of the youth na kontra sa adbokasiya ng (That is contrary to the advocacy of) CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines)-NPA-NDF (National Demovcratic Front),” Esperon said.
He said the CPP-NPA-NDF also “want to show that they are still a force to reckon with, as many of their members have continued to surrender in Masbate.”
“(It really seemed like a threat to the people, and that threat was accompanied by murder. So they are really targeted). Meaning they wanted to deliver a message to intimidate the population from whom they are losing support,” added Esperon, also the NTF-ELCAC Vice Chairperson.
What's really interesting here is that Año provides no proof for his claims. Why is that? Why would he not offer anything no matter how obscure it might be to prove that the NPA targeted Absalon for promoting sports? Is he making up stuff? Maybe. Absalon was a football (soccer) player which means he was big into sports. Coincidently there is now a memorial being offered in his name.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1146913 |
Youth and civic organizations will mark the 40th day of the passing of college and national football player Kieth Absalon and his cousin Nolven by way of a nationwide cycling event dubbed "Bike for Justice and Peace" on July 17.
Undersecretary Joel Sy-Egco, Executive Director of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security and National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) spokesperson, announced the activity on Monday during a virtual press conference.
“On July 17, bikers from all over the country will gather in their respective provinces to participate in the Bike for Peace and Justice for Kieth Absalon,” Egco said.
Absalon, 21, was cycling with a group that included his 40-year-old cousin, Nolven, when an anti-personnel mine exploded by the roadside in Masbate City on June 6.
Nolven also died while his 16-year-old son sustained injuries.
The cycling event is initiated by youth groups that include the National Youth Commission (NYC) and the Propelling Our Inherited Nation Through our Youth (Pointy Inc.).
It's not clear from this article exactly who POINTY (Propelling Our Inherited Nation Through our Youth) is but their Facebook page says:
1. Background:The Propelling Our Inherited Nation Through our Youth (POINTY) Inc. was organized after the conduct of seven provincial-level Youth Leadership Seminars (a three-day seminar which provides an avenue for the youth to enhance their leadership, technical and interpersonal skills through series of lectures, group dynamics, group sharing, team building activities and presentations with the objective to make them more responsible, productive and well-informed youth of our society) in Regions 10 (Misamis Oriental, Camiguin, Bukidnon) and 13 (Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur). The POINTY has been registered to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last 01 October2012 through the initiative of the 4th Civil-Military Operations Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, Philippine Army and had its grand launching on 6-7 October 2012 at Camp Edilberto Evangelista, Patag, Cagayan de Oro City and was recognized and registered at National Youth Commission as Youth Organization (National Based Youth Organization) last 26 January 2015.Over the years, the POINTY Inc. has been conducting and facilitating various Youth Leadership Seminars (YLS) within the areas of operations of the 4th Infantry “Diamond” Division, Philippine Army through the initiatives and partnership of the Philippine Army, Local Government Units, NGO’s and CSO’s. This paved way to generate numerous YLS graduates who are now members of POINTY Inc.In addition to this, the POINTY Inc. also conducts and initiates activities in connection with the involvement of Youths in Nation Building such as: participating National Activities, (namely Bantay Halalan, Brigada Eskwela, Celebrating the Spirit of Volunteerism and Citizenship, Youth International Day, Mindanao Week of Peace and National Youth Congress Philippines) spearheaded Annual Gift Giving Activity and facilitated Informational Drive Awareness. Lastly, the POINTY Inc. has been also very helpful in informing and organizing the youths to shield them against deceptive organizations and was deemed beneficial to the accomplishment of the 4th Infantry Division’s mission and the nation as a whole.
2. Objectivesa) To support the 4th Infantry (Diamond) Division, Philippine Army in facilitating Youth Leadership Seminars.
b) Be an agent of Peace.
POINTY is military propaganda!! That means this group is not to be trusted to give anything but the government line. So, who is giving away the bikes?
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147110 |
Some 39 bicycles were distributed by the Philippine Army on Wednesday to commemorate the 40th day of the passing of Kieth Absalon, and his cousin, Nolven, both victims of the New People’s Army (NPA).
The youth sector was the beneficiary of the distribution program at the Ninoy Aquino Freedom Park in Masbate City.
The 21-year-old Kieth, a football player of Far Eastern University, and Nolven, 40, were cycling when anti-personnel mines exploded by the roadside on June 6.
NPA rebels claimed responsibility for the twin deaths.
Capt. John Paul Belleza, 9th Infantry Division (9ID) Public Affairs Office chief, said in a statement on Thursday that the bike distribution was a prelude to the nationwide “Bike for Peace and Justice” on Saturday, organized by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict in coordination with youth and civic groups.
The Army is giving away the bikes and the NTF-ELCAC is the organizer of the "Bike for Peace" event. It's all government propaganda. The 40th day observance, though it be a Filipino funerary tradition, can also be lumped with ant-Communist propaganda because Marxism is inherently atheistic. But nothing screams PROPAGANDA like flag burning.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147420 |
Lt. Col. Reandrew P. Rubio, commander of the 91st Infantry “Sinagtala” Battalion, 7th Infantry "Kaugnay" Division Philippine Army, said the event was highlighted with the burning of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic front (CPP-NPA-NDF) flag and signing of the peace covenant of the participants, who then biked traversing central municipalities of Baler, Dipaculao, Maria Aurora and San Luis.
The participants of the event include Aurora Ready Reserve Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, Sentrong Alyansa ng mga Mamamayan para sa Bayan, people’s organizations, and some sectoral groups.
Other participants were representatives from the provincial government of Aurora, local government units, Baler Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
The bike for peace event was attended by the military and representatives of various government agencies and the highlight was the burning of the CPP-NPA-NDF flag. Flag burning is nothing but propaganda. It won't defeat the NPA or make the community safe. So why do it? Because it is propaganda to symbolize the rejection of the CPP-NPA-NDF. How many times must the communities do this? How many times must they declare the NPA persona non grata? How many times must the CPP flag be burned?
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| CPP npa flag burning |
How many times must the AFP put on the same show before they decide to wipe out the NPA for good? After 52 years what has the AFP to show for all their effort? Allegedly there are hundreds of thousands of reds in the government and the CPP-NPA-NDF has the network and the means to take down the government according to one former NPA member. In response the AFP is out hosting biking events and burning flags.
It's ludicrous to think that Absalon was targeted by the NPA because he promoted sports. Esperon claims that sports are contrary to the CPP-NPA-NDF but gives no explanation or proof for that assertion. We are supposed to believe him based solely on his word. The official statement of the CPP on the killing of Absalon calls his death a tragedy.
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| https://cpp.ph/statements/on-the-june-6-masbate-tragedy/ |
The entire Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and New People’s Army (NPA) express their deep remorse over the untimely and unnecessary deaths of cousins Keith and Nolven Absalon and injury to others resulting from errors in the military action mounted by an NPA unit in Barangay Anas, Masbate City last Sunday.
The entire CPP and NPA take full responsibility for the tragedy. There is no justification for the aggravation this has caused the Absalon family.
We fervently hope that the Absalon family, their relatives and friends, and the entire Filipino people can accept our profoundest apologies, self-criticism and willingness to extend any appropriate form of indemnification.
In waging a people’s war, the New People’s Army is always reminded to give the highest priority to the protection of civilian lives and property. In this regard, the Masbate incident should not have happened.
We are aware that an investigation is already being carried out by the Party’s Bicol Regional Committee and Masbate Provincial Committee of the Party and the higher commands of the NPA to identify the errors and weaknesses that led to this tragedy.
The lessons that will be drawn should guide the NPA to avoid such unfortunate incidents in the future and strengthen its resolve to serve and defend the people.
According to Esperon we will have to now declare this statement to be a big, fat lie because Absalon was actually targeted for death because he promoted sports. Perhaps proof for this motive will be given to the public at some point. But where would the proof have come from? Three of the suspected men behind the blast were killed in a clash with the AFP and the NPA refuses to surrender whoever else is responsible.
Maybe the proof that the CPP-NPA hates sports is shown in the fact that they allegedly tried to disrupt the biking event in one town.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147524 |
Army troopers have foiled a communist New People’s Army plot to disrupt the “Bike for Justice and Peace” event in Kitcharao, Agusan del Norte over the weekend.
In a statement Monday, the Army's 29th Infantry Battalion said that prior to the event last July 17, the unit received reports from concerned persons on the presence of armed NPA rebels in Barangay Mahayhay, one of the routes of the event.
“The information said that the NPA rebels were planning to stage a sabotage to discourage the residents to participate in the Bike for Justice and Peace activity,” the statement read.
Troopers were dispatched to secure the area last July 17 and encountered twice at least seven NPA rebels belonging to the Sandatahang Yunit Pampropaganda 16A of Guerrilla Front 16, North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee in Purok 6 of Barangay Mahayhay.
“The encounter lasted for 25 minutes, after which, the NPA rebels, led by a certain Samuel Batican alias Popo abandoned their position and fled towards the southern portion of the barangay,” the military said.
At around 7:18 a.m. on the same day, the troopers again engaged the same group of armed insurgents in a 30-minute gunfight.
The soldiers also recovered personal belongings left behind by the rebels after their withdrawal from the first encounter site.
Two questions here.
1. How does the AFP know the name of the man who was leading the rebels? If they know who he is then how are they unable to find him and arrest him or take him out?
2. Who the heck brings a a 25 kg bag of rice when they are out on a mission of destruction to stop a bike rally?
The AFP has posted two other pictures on Facebook to prove this encounter happened but neither of them make sense. One is a few items of clothing strung about the forest and the other is a picture of an interior of a shack.
Maybe the NPA attempted to disrupt a biking event, maybe they did not. With all these conflicting statements from the government and the CPP it's hard to know who to believe. They both probably prefer it that way.
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