Military: No truth to hamletting, food blockade reports in Compostela Valley

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 12): Military: No truth to hamletting, food blockade reports in Compostela Valley

The 10th Infantry Division on Friday strongly denied reports claiming that its 25th, 71st and 66th Infantry Battalions are blocking food supplies and hamletting communities in Compostela Valley.

"These unfounded and malicious allegations of the National Democratic Front (NDF)-allied organizations are designed to distract our units and soldiers who are conducting Peace and Development Outreach Program (PDOP)," 10th Infantry Division public affairs office chief Capt. Rhyan Batchar said.

PDOP aims to bring the people closer to government and assist in facilitating the government’s delivery of basic needs and services to communities in far flung areas of Compostela Valley.

Such programs are against the efforts of the New People's Army to drive the people further away from government by agitating them into resorting to violence, he added.

"The 10th Infantry Division and all its units are open to investigation by any duly constituted authorities. We will support and fully cooperate in any investigation to ferret out misfits, scalawags and misbehaving member of the military organization," Batchar said.

"We, therefore, encourage these NDF-allied groups to file appropriate charges against officers and soldiers of units responsible for committing the said allegations. We urge them to go beyond mere propaganda aimed at only besmirching the good image of our soldiers," he added.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=913020