DESPITE the directive of President Aquino to dismantle all New People’s Army (NPA) checkpoints, the military in Mindanao failed to stop the rebels as they abducted on Sunday afternoon a policeman who was acting as security escort of Gov. Arturo Uy in Maco, Compostela Valley.
Compostela Valley is part of the area of jurisdiction of the Army’s 1st Infantry “Tabak” Division led by Brig. Gen. Daniel Lucero.
Senior Supt. Camilo Cascolan, Compostela Valley police commander, said Senior Police Officer 1 Alan Pansoy was seized at gunpoint in front of Uy and six board members after their convoy was stopped at an NPA checkpoint in Purok 6, Barangay Malamudao.
“The incident happened at around 5 p.m. while the governor’s convoy was heading toward Barangay Anitapan in Mabini town for a political rally, just one of the stopovers of their campaign sortie that day,” Cascolan said.
Investigators are verifying a tip that Uy and his party mates allegedly gave campaign fee to the NPA rebels so they will be allowed to do campaign activities in the towns of Maco, Mabini, Mawab and Pantukan.
Cascolan said two sections of policemen with a platoon of soldiers from the 71st Infantry Battalion were conducting pursuit operations to rescue Pansoy.
Pansoy’s abduction is not new in Compostela Valley as the NPA committed similar incidents in the past weeks. However, all the soldiers, policemen and members of the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu) that the rebels seized were unconditionally released by the rebels.
After NPA rebels almost killed Gingoog City Mayor Ruthie de Lara Guingona, mother of Sen. Teofisto “TG” Guingona III and wife of former Vice President Teofisto Guingona Jr., President Aquino ordered the military and police in Mindanao to dismantle NPA checkpoints.
The Guingona ambush resulted in the death of her two close-in bodyguards and injured her policeman security escort.
Because of the incident, Mr. Aquino ordered the relief of Maj. Gen. Nestor Añonuevo as commander of the 4th Infantry “Diamond” Division. He was replaced by Brig. Gen. Ricardo Visaya in an acting capacity.
Visaya immediately ordered intensified operations against the rebels.
When asked about the status of Añonuevo who was recalled to the Armed Forces General Headquarters in Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo in Quezon City, the Armed Forces chief of staff, Gen. Emmanuel Bautista, said, “There was a reshuffling of players to change our approach in dealing with the challenges in the field.… We are looking for an approach that can be effective. It’s not necessarily just because of a single incident…. Analyzing the ongoing situation, we need a different approach.”
Bautista and Añonuevo both belong to the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1981.
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