2 Negros rebel leaders covered by P2M bounty

From the Visayan Daily Star (May 23, 2020): 2 Negros rebel leaders covered by P2M bounty

Two leaders of the Communist Party of the Philippines- New People’s Army in Negros may qualify for the list of top communist rebel leaders, who have a P2 million bounty each over their heads, Col. Inocencio Pasaporte, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, said yesterday.

Pasaporte identified the two top Negros CPP-NPA leaders as Rogelio Posadas, with aliases of Poten, Isko, Roger and Botchoy, and Ka Juanito Magbanua of the Apolinario Gatmaitan Command.

The two rebel leaders had been arrested in the cities of Cadiz and San Carlos in Negros Occidental, but rejoined their comrades in the mountains after posting bail, police records show.

Pasaporte said that the P2million reward being offered by President Rodrigo Duterte is much bigger compared to the previous bounty offered for their arrest.

He tagged Posadas as Komiteng Rehiyonal-Negros secretary and head of the NPA Regional Operational Command.

National Democratic Front chief political consultant Jose Maria Sison slammed Duterte for offering rewards for every top NPA commander being killed.

Sison said in a statement released by NDFP that he expects military leaders to manufacture more NPA commanders, in order to receive cash rewards, as they have been doing in what he calls “previous fake surrenders and fake encounters”.

“We can expect more murders being committed by military and police officers against innocent civilians who are misrepresented as NPA commanders, he added.

Earlier, Magbanua, who is the spokesperson of the Apolinario Gatmaitan Command, chided Duterte’s offer of P2-million reward, land and a new identity to anyone who could kill an NPA commander.

Both the AFP and the PNP leadership welcomed the reward offered by President Duterte.

AFP chief of staff Gen. Felimon Santos Jr. said that the reward money will pave the way for civilians to gather courage to step forward and “provide information leading to the neutralization of top communist terrorist group leaders.

http://www.visayandailystar.com/2020/May/23/topstory5.htm