NPAs allegedly burned ALCADEV cottage

From the Manila Bulletin (Nov 15): NPAs allegedly burned ALCADEV cottage

Camp Bancasi, Butuan City – The New People’s Army (NPA) was responsible for the burning of a lumad teachers’ cottage in Padiay, Sibagat town, Agusan del Sur, as claimed by a former NPA leader.

Quoting former NPA Guerilla Front and Finance Secretary Julieto Canoy, the Army spokesman of Northeastern and Northern Mindanao alleged that a group led by a certain “Ka Batic” was responsible for razing the building located in the Alternative Learning Center for Agriculture Development (ALCADEV) compound in Padiay at around 2 a.m. Tuesday.

Capt. Joe Patrick A. Martinez said Canoy was informed by his contacts in Sibagat town that three NPAs went to Sitio Bolonbon in Padiay the night before they burned down the teachers’ cottage.

“NPA allied organization immediately blamed the Army about the burning. This is our usual strategy to destroy the soldier’s image and also to generate fund. We have to create a condition that the soldiers are violators of Human Rights and are attacking the lumads. This unfortunate situation of the indigenous peoples (IPs) will attract attention of foreign NGOs. NPA cohorts will now use this situation to solicit support from these foreign NGOs,” Martinez said.

Other witnesses said during the joint investigation conducted by the PNP and Bureau of Fire Protection last Saturday that they saw 6 unidentified men wearing long-sleeves, pants and rain boots burned down the teacher’s cottage.

http://www.mb.com.ph/npas-allegedly-burned-alcadev-cottage/