Cops step up intelligence work vs. NPA

From the Visayan Daily Star (Dec 18): Cops step up intelligence work vs. NPA

The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office is further intensifying its “ intelligence“ efforts, a week before the 49th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of the Philippines on Dec. 26.

This was after the Philippine National Police ordered mobilization of its tactical and maneuver units for coordinated offensives against the New People's Army, in tandem with the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

But in Negros Occidental, the police is still on “defensive mode”, although they are also exerting their best effort in intelligence gathering, to pre-empt whatever possible atrocities may be conducted by the NPA, Senior Supt. Rodolfo Castil, provincial police director of Negros Occidental, said.

The PNP said in statement that it shifted recently to the offensive stance against the New People's Army, tagged by the government as a terrorist organization after peace talks with the communist group collapsed.

Castil admitted that they are still engaging in self-criticism on mistakes they had committed. In previous months. The NPA staged two separate ambushes on policemen responding to reported crime incidents in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental, and Cauayan, Negros Occidental, killing six policemen and causing injuries to six others, including two foreigners and a civilian.

All information they receive is now being thoroughly validated, before they take action, Castil said.

The PNP in Negros Island have been placed on full alert against possible offensives by the NPA, in line with the 49th founding anniversary on Dec. 26.

Two weeks ago, two large training camps of the NPA were discovered and seized by Army soldiers in Himamaylan City's remote barangays, that also caused minor injuries to two soldiers after series of armed skirmishes.

Castil said all the police stations in Negros Occidental may be targets of the NPA and stress the need for target hardening of all police installations and other vital installations, in coordination with the AFP.

http://www.visayandailystar.com/2017/December/18/topstory3.htm