Bets told to reject NPA extortion try

From the Philippine Star (Oct 18): Bets told to reject NPA extortion try

The military on Friday reminded candidates of the barangay polls to reject the demands of communist rebels and to work closely with security forces in their respective areas.

Armed Forces public affairs chief Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said giving in to the extortion demands of the New People’s Army (NPA) would enable the group to conduct more atrocities.

“It (giving in to NPA demands) runs counter to their (candidates) desire to serve the people. They should not support the people who seek to destroy our institutions,” Zagala said in an interview Friday.

“The money to be collected (by the rebels) will used to further their armed struggle,” he added.

Zagala called on candidates to coordinate with authorities to ensure a peaceful campaign period.

“We need everybody’s cooperation especially those who are running,” he said.

The Commission on Elections earlier reminded candidates to comply with all the rules governing the campaign period, which began Friday. The filing of the certificates of candidacy started last Oct. 11 and ended last Thursday.

More than 500,000 are seeking posts in the barangay polls to be held on Oct. 28.

Earlier, the military reported that the NPA collected about P26-million in extortion money during the 2012 midterm elections.

The amount is slightly higher than the P25 million reportedly collected by the rebels from politicians and businesses last year.

While security forces had failed to stop the alleged extortion drive of the NPA, officials claim that they have managed to limit the amount given to the insurgents.

The military previously said that the communists extorted more than P95 million in 2010 and P1.5 billion since 1998 from investors and politicians.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/10/18/1246706/bets-told-reject-npa-extortion-try