Brig. Gen. Maurito L. Licudine, commander of the 402nd Infantry Brigade. (PNA file photo by Alexander Lopez)
A top official of the Philippine Army in the Caraga Region has called on traders and business groups in the area to stop giving money to the communist New People’s Army (NPA).
In a statement Monday, Brig. Gen. Maurito Licudine said over PHP236 million was reportedly generated by the NPA nationwide from their extortion activities.
“This amount of came from mining construction and politicians among others,” said Licudine said, commander of the Army's 402nd Infantry Brigade (402Bde).
Licudine said the NPA and its fronts in Northern Mindanao and Caraga managed to collect around PHP118 million through extortion activities in 2019.
“This amount of money is more than enough to finance its terroristic activities in the area,” the Army official said, as he urged the business sector in the region "to stop giving in to the demands of the communist rebels."
Businesses, Licudine said, can rely on the security being provided by government forces in the area to ensure the safety of their operations.
“We mean business to end the insurgency here in Caraga Region. Let’s stop giving to this terrorist. It is time that Caraganons will be free from the bondage of fear that the Communist NPA Terrorists (CNTs) had implanted into communities. Everyone must be part of this initiative. Let’s us make strong advocacy and together end this insurgency,” he said.
Licudine issued the call after he and the 4th Infantry Division (4ID) commander, Maj. Gen. Andres Centino, met with Agusan del Norte Governor Dale Corvera and representatives of the business sector on July 8 here to seek solutions on the rebels' extortion schemes in the region.
Maj. Francisco Garello Jr., 402Bde civil-military operations officer, said at least 25 contractors from Agusan del Norte joined the meeting.
The 402Bde statement quoted Corvera as telling the contractors of their vital role in ending the insurgency in Agusan del Norte and in the region, and even tackled the salient points of President Rodrigo Duterte's Executive Order No. 70, which institutionalized the "whole-of-nation" approach to end the local communist conflict in the countryside.
“For a long time, the people think insurgency was the concern of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP). Now it’s time for a change. Everyone must understand that it is a Whole-of-a-Nation Approach and we must get involved and help end this problem,” Corvera said.
Meanwhile, Centino appealed to the contractors to help and support the government in its effort in addressing the resource generation schemes of the NPA.
“The CNTs are still thriving despite the AFP’s notable success over the years because their extortion scheme was not stopped. It enables them to sustain and continue their terroristic activity because they have the resources,” Centino said
Centino also vowed that the Army in Northern Mindanao will not stop its effort to break the flow of the NPA’s sources of income.
“The AFP’s efforts and focus now will be on identifying those individuals and institutions that are providing and supporting this group. We have the list of these supporters and we are urging them to stop what they are doing,” the 4ID commander said.
The NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1108748
In a statement Monday, Brig. Gen. Maurito Licudine said over PHP236 million was reportedly generated by the NPA nationwide from their extortion activities.
“This amount of came from mining construction and politicians among others,” said Licudine said, commander of the Army's 402nd Infantry Brigade (402Bde).
Licudine said the NPA and its fronts in Northern Mindanao and Caraga managed to collect around PHP118 million through extortion activities in 2019.
“This amount of money is more than enough to finance its terroristic activities in the area,” the Army official said, as he urged the business sector in the region "to stop giving in to the demands of the communist rebels."
Businesses, Licudine said, can rely on the security being provided by government forces in the area to ensure the safety of their operations.
“We mean business to end the insurgency here in Caraga Region. Let’s stop giving to this terrorist. It is time that Caraganons will be free from the bondage of fear that the Communist NPA Terrorists (CNTs) had implanted into communities. Everyone must be part of this initiative. Let’s us make strong advocacy and together end this insurgency,” he said.
Licudine issued the call after he and the 4th Infantry Division (4ID) commander, Maj. Gen. Andres Centino, met with Agusan del Norte Governor Dale Corvera and representatives of the business sector on July 8 here to seek solutions on the rebels' extortion schemes in the region.
Maj. Francisco Garello Jr., 402Bde civil-military operations officer, said at least 25 contractors from Agusan del Norte joined the meeting.
The 402Bde statement quoted Corvera as telling the contractors of their vital role in ending the insurgency in Agusan del Norte and in the region, and even tackled the salient points of President Rodrigo Duterte's Executive Order No. 70, which institutionalized the "whole-of-nation" approach to end the local communist conflict in the countryside.
“For a long time, the people think insurgency was the concern of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP). Now it’s time for a change. Everyone must understand that it is a Whole-of-a-Nation Approach and we must get involved and help end this problem,” Corvera said.
Meanwhile, Centino appealed to the contractors to help and support the government in its effort in addressing the resource generation schemes of the NPA.
“The CNTs are still thriving despite the AFP’s notable success over the years because their extortion scheme was not stopped. It enables them to sustain and continue their terroristic activity because they have the resources,” Centino said
Centino also vowed that the Army in Northern Mindanao will not stop its effort to break the flow of the NPA’s sources of income.
“The AFP’s efforts and focus now will be on identifying those individuals and institutions that are providing and supporting this group. We have the list of these supporters and we are urging them to stop what they are doing,” the 4ID commander said.
The NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1108748
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