Rebel abuses lead to tips to the military

From the Philippine Information Agency (Mar 13): Rebel abuses lead to tips to the military

The series of armed fights and encounters by the military with the New People’s Army (NPA) in the provinces of Samar and Northern Samar were the result of reliable information relayed by the local residents to the military.

Lt. Col. Noel Vestuir, commanding officer of the 20th Infantry Battalion, 8ID, Philippine Army, said rebels have been harassing local residents by coercing them to pay revolutionary taxes in return for security in the community.

This, in turn, led to a series of armed encounters this March in a number of barangays in the towns of Motiong and San Jorge in Samar province and Palapag Complex in Northern Samar.

In a related move, Maj. Gen. Gerardo Layug, commander, 8ID, said the people’s reaction to the abuses of the rebels and their denouncement indicate that the people are now well aware that what hinders development and the people's economic uplift is the presence of rebels.

The top man of the military in the region assures the public of the commitment of the military to pursue peace in every community in the region.

http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=1151363144197