It is now officially campaign season which means the NPA are out and about seeing extortion fees from candidates.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1167461 |
The New People’s Army (NPA) was slammed for blocking a national highway and threatening residents and travelers in Cortes, Surigao del Sur on Thursday.
In a phone interview, Col. Joseph Boquiren, director of Surigao del Sur Police Provincial Office (SDSPPO), said the NPA caused terror and distress in the area when an undetermined number of rebels blocked a portion of the national highway in Sitio Lubcon, Barangay Mabahin, Cortes town early Thursday morning.
“That was a plain show of force and a terroristic act as they sow fear among the residents in the area. Some motorists, including employees of government and private offices who happened to pass in that portion of the highway, were flagged down and threatened by the rebels,” Boquiren said.
He added that the rebels also raided and ransacked the store and house of a retired Army officer situated near the area where they blocked the highway.
The ransacking incident is still being investigated by the personnel of Cortes municipal police station, he added.
"We condemn the NPA rebels for their terroristic acts and sowing fear among the civilians in the area," Boquiren said.
He also identified the leader of the NPA rebels who led the harassment as Joel Maghinay alias Nico of NPA Guerrilla Front 30, North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee.
The government says this crazy stunt was an extortion ploy.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1167567 |
The New People’s Army’s (NPA) blocking off a section of the highway in Cortes, Surigao del Sur was an extortion ploy to remind candidates running in the upcoming polls of their presence in the area, an indigenous community leader said Friday.
Datu Rico Maca, the Indigenous People Mandatory Representative of San Miguel, Surigao del Sur, said Thursday’s “show of force” staged by the NPA in Cortes town was aimed to prompt local politicians to pay the “permit to campaign and permit to win.”
“Extortion is the primary reason for that show staged by the NPA rebels. They are reminding the politicians that they are still around and that they will pursue with their extortion activities as the campaign starts and the election is nearing,” Maca told Philippine News Agency on Friday.
An undetermined number of NPA rebels blocked a portion of the national highway Thursday morning in Sitio Lucbon, Barangay Mabahin of Cortes town where they flagged down and threatened motorists.
A residence of a retired Army officer in the area was also ransacked by the rebels.
“The ransacking of houses was only secondary. The NPA rebels were really reminding the politicians, and even threatening them, to pay permits for campaigns,” Maca said.
The IP leader urged the candidates and political parties not to give in to the threats and demands of the rebels.
“If you will pay, then you are contributing to the useless cause of these bandits. You are, in a way, taking part to strengthen the terroristic activities of these insurgents. Your payment will further escalate the killings, lootings, human rights violations, and other terroristic activities that the NPA rebels are known for,” Maca said.
The CPP says that these election checkpoints were orderly and just.
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| https://cpp.ph/statements/npa-surigao-election-checkpoints-were-orderly-and-just-cpp/ |
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) today said that the checkpoints mounted by the New People’s Army (NPA) yesterday in Cortes town, Surigao del Sur, were “orderly and just” and were conducted with full respect for human rights and consistent with international humanitarian law (IHL).
“Based on initial information from the area, the checkpoints were conducted in an orderly fashion,” said CPP Chief Information Officer Marco Valbuena.
Reports from various news outfits say that residents noted about a hundred Red fighters of the NPA mounted checkpoints in different points of Cortes town, Surigao del Sur. One of the NPA units was assigned to the portion of the national highway in Sitio Lubcon, Barangay Mabahin, Cortes. The checkpoints were lifted 30 minutes later.
Valbuena described as a “desperate pack of lies” the claims of the 901st Infantry Brigade and Surigao del Sur Police Provincial Office that the NPA checkpoints violated IHL.
“Clearly, the NPA forces which conducted the checkpoints were very respectful of the rights of civilians and did not cause much inconvenience,” said Valbuena. He explained that the NPA has the option of mounting temporary checkpoints within its territories or areas of operation to implement policies of the people’s democratic government.
Valbuena said checkpoints can be undertaken as measures to ensure compliance with the people’s government’s policies regarding the conduct of elections prohibiting politicians from bringing armed goons and police and military escorts that usually serve to intimidate the people.
One big take away from this event is that despite saying that the NPA is irrelevant and that they really don't have the numbers any more as rebels keep surrendering the PNP were not prepared to deal with this group. They actually ran away.
Lt. Jimel Acuesta, chief of police in Cortes town, said at least four policemen initially responded to the incident but soon withdrew after seeing that they were outnumbered. He said the armed rebels, who also went to the store of of former 2nd Lt. Joven Rivera, stayed about 30 minutes in the place.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1553112/npa-rebs-briefly-stop-travel-along-surigao-del-sur-highway
Could they not have called for back up? Could they not have alerted the military? The military should have been alerted and appeared with a major show of force to blast those rebels. Where is the resolve to put an end to the insurgency when the NPA are able to set up roadblocks with zero consequences?
While this incident happened in Surigao del Sur, not far away in Surigao del Norte the AFP has been ramping up operations against the NPA.
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| https://www.kalinawnews.com/new-4id-commander-ramps-up-operations-against-cpp-npa-ndf-seizes-16-firearms-neutralize-17-npas/ |
Brigadier General Wilbur C Mamawag, the recently installed Commander of the 4th Infantry (Diamond) Division, Philippine Army has ramped up its focused military operations and dealt anew significant blows against the CPP-NPA Terrorists (CNTs).
Barely a week after BGen Mamawag’s assumption as 4ID commander last February 3, 4ID has neutralized a total of 17 CNTs and seized 16 high-powered firearms thru encounters and successful negotiation of surrender by its different line units.
On February 4 and 8, five (5) high-powered firearms composed of four (4) AK47 Rifles and one (1) M14 Rifle were seized in an encounter against the CNTs after the 23rd Infantry Battalion of the 402nd Infantry Brigade has launched combat operations at the hinterlands of Brgy Tungao, Butuan City while three (3) firearms composed of one (1) AK47 Rifle, one (1) M4 Rifle, one (1) M16 Rifle were also captured and one (1) unidentified male CNT had died during a 50-minute encounter of the 30th Infantry Battalion of the 901st Infantry Brigade against CNTs at the mountainous area of Brgy Alipao, Alegria, Surigao del Norte.
In a statement, BGen Mamawag stated that while 4ID has collectively achieved so much for the past few periods of the campaign, there is a need to sustain the gains and its efforts and use all available resources to push further for the total defeat of the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) within the given timeline as set by the President to defeat the communist insurgency in the country.
“With our earnest desire to bring lasting peace in our communities, we have pushed the enemy to the brink of defeat. However, with barely five (5) months to go before the end of our campaign and to accomplish the President’s directive to end local communist armed conflict, we will even step up some more in order to destroy the remaining CTG. Hence, we are calling upon them to instead return to the folds of the law and cooperate with us or else be ready to face the consequences,” BGen Mamawag added.
How can they say the NPA has been pushed to the brink of defeat when just over in the next province the NPA managed to set up several road blocks in a show of force with zero repercussions?
The AFP is also claiming once again that the NPA in Samar have suffered a large blow further weakening them.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1167554 |
The recent recovery of 34 high-powered firearms from the New People’s Army (NPA) in Pinabacdao, Samar on February 9 will further cripple the communist terrorist group, a military official said on Friday.
Capt. Ryan Layug, the spokesperson of the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division, said the recovered firearms in remote Bugho village Wednesday was the biggest seizure of firearms in Eastern Visayas.
“In the entire country, we have not heard bigger than this. This will reduce their capability to do terroristic acts like extortion and attack on government troops and civilians,” Layug said in a phone interview.
The firearms recovered were 24 M16 rifles, two M4 carbine assault rifles, seven China-made AK47 variant rifles, and an M14 rifle.
Layug said the rebels buried the assault rifles since they do not have enough manpower to carry them.
“This a result of reduction of manpower since many of their members have already surrendered to the government,” he told the Philippine News Agency.
Just Google "Samar NPA blow weaken" and several stories about AFP operations claiming that the NPA has suffered major blows will show up. It seems that despite the many surrenders and the many rebels killed in skirmishes the NPA in Samar is as active as ever.
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| https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/regions/821370/2-minors-killed-npa-ambush-vs-gov-t-troops-in-northern-samar-military/story/ |
Two minors were killed and another civilian was injured on Tuesday after New People’s Army (NPA) rebels ambushed Philippine Army troops in Catubig, Northern Samar, the military said Thursday.
The Joint Task Force Storm and 8th Infantry Division said the 12-year-old victim was declared dead on arrival at the Catubig Hospital, while the 13-year-old victim died the next morning at the Northern Samar hospital.
"Before he died, the 13-year-old boy was able to narrate to the barangay officials that they were hit by NPA gunfires,” 8ID commander Major General Edgardo de Leon said in a statement.
“The 26-year-old survivor revealed that they were behind the soldiers when the NPAs opened fire, prompting them to run away but unfortunately they were hit,” he added.
The troops were on their way to check the reported presence of NPA rebels in Barangay Roxas when attacked, according to 803rd Brigade commander Colonel Perfecto Peñaredondo.
The troops managed to duck and drop on the ground, but the civilians behind them got hit, he said.
This is kind of an odd story. Why were these three people, (a 12, 13, and 26 year old) walking behind the troops? Why did they not flee as soon as they saw the troops or why did the troops not tell them to flee? Apparently this took place on a coconut farm as the victims were gathering coconuts. That the troops did not tell these three victims to run is unconscionable.
The NTF-ELCAC's telling of this story is quite disingenuous.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1167603 |
The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Friday condemned the recent "purposive" attack of the New People's Army (NPA) that killed two children in Barangay Roxas, Catubig, Northern Samar on February 8.
In a statement, NTF-ELCAC spokesperson for Social Media Affairs and Sectoral Concerns, Presidential Communications Operations Office Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy, also extended her condolences to the families of Andre Mercado, 12, and Leandro Alivio, 13, who were killed when rebels belonging to the NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), ambushed government troops.
She said the insurgents are “cowards who could only take on children” and deprive them of a safe place “where they can grow up, fulfill their destinies and be the strong pillars of our democracy”.
"Our hearts lie broken and we are awash in rage at the murder by the terrorist CPP-NPA-NDF (National Democratic Front). Terrorists opened fire and purposely targeted the children who were in the vicinity of a firefight with government troops who were in hot pursuit of them," Badoy said.
She narrated that instead of pointing their guns at the soldiers, "these violent extremists pointed their guns at the two boys and their other companions -- two of them minors as well -- and opened fire”.
This is not what happened at all. What happened is that these boys were following the troops and the troops did not bother to tell them to leave the area immediately. Then the NPA opened fire on the soldiers but they were able to duck while the boys following them were hit. Does Badoy really think the NPA was targeting children? They should not have been there in the first place. The troops should be condemned for not telling them to flee the area. But you won't hear anyone telling that narrative despite it being true.
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