Security forces alerted against rebel assaults

From the Manila Times (Dec 26): Security forces alerted against rebel assaults

GOVERNMENT security forces in southern Luzon have been alerted against possible attacks from New People’s Army (NPA) rebels on the founding anniversary of the Communist Party of the Philippines on Tuesday. Director General Alan Purisima, Philippine National Police chief, said that possible rebel attacks on police outposts and stations in Southern Tagalog region was passed on to them by the Armed Forces (AFP). “We received reports from the AFP about the arrest of NPA members and we were informed about the plan to conduct attacks in police stations in Southern Luzon areas,” Purisima said.

The police chief said that he had already informed and instructed police regional commanders in southern Luzon area to maintain a high state of vigilance against leftist rebel activities in their areas. “I have directed the police regional directors of areas where NPA’s are known to be operating to exercise highest form of vigilance and intensify intelligence gathering,” Purisima said.

The police chief said that he also ordered that security in all police stations in southern Luzon be intensified against the possible launching of rebel attacks to mark the CPP’s 44th founding anniversary. “We are also in constant coordination with the AFP in so far as augmentation of forces in police stations is concerned,” said Purisima who earlier raised the alert status of the National Police as part of security for the Holiday Season.

Chief Supt. Generoso Cerbo Jr., PNP spokesman, said that police units throughout the country have been told to remain vigilant despite of the government’s declaration of ceasefire with communist rebels during the yuletide season. “We have the recent case of [NPA attack] in Palawan . . . the directive to our police is to continue their high level of vigilance and alertness especially those in the remote areas,” Cerbo said.

The CPP is the main political organization of the rebels, which have been waging more than four decades of protracted war in the countryside. The Communist Party has recently offered a power sharing term with the Philippine government to end decades-old strife as a prelude for resumption of peace-talks, but was quickly rejected by top government officials.
http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/news/regions/38116-security-forces-alerted-against-rebel-assaults