'Don't take advantage of typhoon victims', military urges NPAs

From the Philippine Star (Nov 11): 'Don't take advantage of typhoon victims', military urges NPAs

The military has urged communist rebels not to take advantage of the misery of typhoon victims and has encouraged them to support the relief efforts in affected areas.

Armed Forces chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista said there is no place for armed offensives now that many are suffering from the impact of typhoon “Yolanda.”

“Hopefully, they (rebels) don’t take advantage again just like what happened during (the devastation of) typhoon ‘Pablo.’ I hope they don’t take advantage of the sufferings of our countrymen,” Bautista said in a chance interview Sunday evening in Camp Aguinaldo.

The New People’s Army (NPA), Bautista said, should help those who are conducting relief operations instead.

“We have a national problem and we should help each other. There is no place for attacks and armed struggles,” the military chief said.

Last year, the military accused the insurgents of hampering relief operations in areas affected by typhoon ‘Pablo.’

A group aligned with the NPA reportedly tried to intercept soldiers who were about to deliver goods to typhoon victims in Talaingod in Davao del Norte last December.

Officials said a relief team from the 60th Infantry Battalion was fired upon at the outreach station in Barangay Sto. Niño.

The attack happened despite the 29-day ceasefire declared by the NPA in typhoon-stricken areas.

Bautista said they are prioritizing humanitarian and disaster response efforts over internal security for now.

“Our focus now is relief operation. There is no formal declaration (of ceasefire),” he said.

Last week, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) called for “mass mobilization”  to generate emergency supply and funds for rescue, relief and rehabilitation efforts.

The group also called on “people in the areas least affected by the storm to extend maximum possible help to the people who are most in need of emergency assistance.”
CPP noted that many of the areas ravaged by the typhoon were those recently hit by powerful earthquakes.

“These areas are among the most impoverished in the entire country, where the majority are poor peasants, unemployed farm workers, small fisherfolk and indigenous peoples,” the group said in a statement.

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/11/11/1255568/dont-take-advantage-typhoon-victims-military-urges-npas