Army vows to quell renewed NPA atrocities in N. Cotabato

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 3): Army vows to quell renewed NPA atrocities in N. Cotabato

The Army here has vowed to contain renewed hostilities initiated by the communist New Peoples Army in North Cotabato in retaliation to heavy losses they suffered following recent Army-rebel encounters.

Brig. Gen. Ademar Tomaro, chief of the Army’s 602nd Brigade based here, said the rebels planted landmines in civilian communities to get back at the soldiers of the 57th Infantry Battalion who figured in a clash with the rebels that left eight guerillas killed.

Two soldiers also died in the clash that took place in the mountains Bulatukan, Makilala, North Cotabato.  Following the skirmishes, the guerillas stormed the village of Lacobe and disarmed Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) members.

The MNLF in the village served as police multipliers to help maintain law and order in the community inhabited mostly by local Muslims.  Due to intensified military offensive against communist insurgents, they were dislodged from their camps at the foot of the country's highest peak and moved to other villages where they harassed and intimidated civilian communities and multi-national companies.

"They would like to get back at the Army but the sad thing was they include non combatants and harassed them when they refused to provide protection money to the rebels," Tomaro told reporters.

As a preventive measure, communities vulnerable to NPA harassment are regularly covered by Army patrols.  Tomaro lauded the civilians who have been providing the Army with information on the location and movement of communist rebels.

Tomaro had ordered the 57th Infantry Battalion to immediately deploy soldiers in the surroundings of Barangay Lacobe to prevent the rebels from coming back.  An Army team has been deployed to Barangay Lacobe to ensure the safety of civilians.

Tomaro said the rebels regularly plant landmines in areas patrolled by soldiers to prevent NPAs from regaining control of their former strongholds.  NPA rebels had been repeatedly harassing big banana companies in Makilala, North Cotabato that ignored their demand for protection money.  Several heavy equipment have been torched by the rebels and disarmed the firm's security guards of their firearms.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=503129