‘NPA demanding fees, favors from WV bets’

From the Visayan Daily Star (Mar 12, 2019): ‘NPA demanding fees, favors from WV bets’

The campaign of the New People’s Army to collect access fees and to ask for favors from Western Visayas political candidates to be allowed to conduct political campaigns within their claimed territories, has already started.

This was after Chief Supt. John Bulalacao, regional police director of Western Visayas, reported yesterday that they intercepted copies of extortion letters from the CPP-NPA addressed to political candidates demanding fees from them.

Chief Supt. John Bulalacao, regional police director of Western Visayas, yesterday warned candidates, as well as local officials, not to give in to the extortion demands of the New People’s Army, as they may face sanctions such as disqualification for possible violations of the Revised Penal Code and provisions of the Omnibus Election Code for doing so.

Col. Benedict Arevalo, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, yesterday said that local communist rebels also started to coordinate with candidates in Negros seeking their help in supporting party-list groups and candidates, in alliance with the CPP-NPA, instead of demanding permit to campaign fees from them.

Arevalo, however, did not identify those party-list groups and candidates, although he reported earlier that more than 30 local government officials in Negros are supporting the CPP-NPA.

He said part of the CPP-NPA strategy is to use the law against government forces, as well as to infiltrate the government to weaken it.

Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. and Vice-Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson earlier challenged Arevalo to identify publicly local officials allegedly supporting the rebel group.

The NPA supporters, whom Arevalo did not identify, allegedly include mayors, vice mayors, while majority of them are councilors.

Extending support to communist rebels, Bulalacao said will make the CPP-NPA stronger, and the money they collect will be used to finance arms procurement, to be used in killing military and police personnel, politicians, businessmen, and other innocent civilians campaigning against them.

“We will not allow them to continue this evil act of extortion, which is detrimental to the peace and order of the country”, Bulalacao said, as he ordered the PNP intelligence units and Regional Mobile Forces, in coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, to intensify the campaign against the extortion activities of the CPP-NPA.

Bulalacao added that incumbent officials and civilians, who are running for an elected positions, are entitled to a maximum of two security personnel, either from PNP or from private security agencies, as long as these are authorized by the Comelec.

Depending on the situation, Bulalacao said they can provide more police personnel, not as bodyguards, but area security, if they campaign in the hinterlands claimed by rebels as their “controlled areas”.

He added that the AFP and PNP, in tandem with other law enforcement agencies, are exerting maximum efforts to ensure peace and order in all areas of Western Visayas, to ensure that there will be no intimidation or manipulation by any lawless group, such as the CPP-NPA.

Arevalo said exposing those who are supporting the NPA, is not meant to judge them. “We would like to remind them not to support the CPP-NPA”, he added. Stressing that the rebel group has already been categorized by the European Union (EU), as a terrorist organization.

http://www.visayandailystar.com/2019/March/12/topstory7.htm