NPAs own up abduction of DENR inspectors in Compostela Valley

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 2): NPAs own up abduction of DENR inspectors in Compostela Valley

The New People’s Army (NPA) has held captive the four survey inspectors of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) from Manila and one driver that were abducted on Friday (May 30) afternoon in New Leyte, Maco, Compostela Valley while conducting survey for the National Greening Program of the government.

In a press statement, the spokesperson of the ComVal Davao Gulf Sub-Regional Command Daniel Ibarra confirmed the communist rebels have “arrested” four surveyors for using drones in conducting a forest survey.

The four surveyors held by the rebels are Ken Wong, Chrisandro Favela, Tim Sabino and Nico Lasaca. Wong is the team leader and the manager of the Sky Eye UAV, the agency sub-contracted by DENR to do aerial survey using drones equipped with high-definition cameras and videos. The group has already surveyed Bislig, Kapalong, Monkayo, Montevista, Polomolok, Tacloban, Panay, and Appari areas.

Ibarra also confirmed the driver of the vehicle rented by the surveyors identified as Jonas Loredo, was also among those held captive by the rebels.

The NPAs held the surveyors for their “culpable violation of the policy of the People’s Democratic Government for bringing in surveillance gadgets, for undertaking reconnaissance of base guerrillas of the New People’s Army and, thus, abetting the enemy’s counter-revolutionary campaign against the revolutionary forces and environmental plunder.” The rebels have confiscated one sky surfer drone and two multi-rotor drones, two laptops and one GPS.

On Sunday (June 1), the Maco Crisis Committee said five were abducted by the armed group.

Ibarra accused the surveyors of conducting surveillance and intelligence activities in the areas; and they will only be released “if they stop their surveillance and intelligence activities in the areas of the People’s Democratic Government.”

According to Ibarra, the activities of the surveyors is an “anti-logging aerial reconnaissance” but “is merely a pretext to intensify imperialist mining plunder and counter-revolutionary intelligence in Southern Mindanao.”

Ibarra said the motives of the operations of the surveyors “are suspicious, considering that Maco is not a hotspot for logging because its forests are denuded, although rich in mineral resources.

Ibarra suspected that using drones is “far from protecting the environment, but is mainly to defend the interest of the big mining companies that are guilty of destroying and plundering our environment.”

He linked the use of drones to the operations of Apex Mining and St. Augustine Mining Corporation in Compostela Valley.

Maco Vice Mayor Voltaire Rimando, the head of the crisis management committee, earlier said New Leyte is a tenement area formerly operated by North Davao Mining Corporation and is now under the Philippine Mining Development Corporation (PMDC).

Rimando said they are clueless on the real situation because the committee could establish communications with either the abductors or the surveyors, including the DENR or CENRO employees.

While the committee is closely monitoring and calling for the safe release of the surveyors, Rimando criticized the DENR or its provincial and CENRO offices for breaching coordination protocols prior to conducting the survey in the area.

Rimando reminded that the abduction of the surveyors was not the first incident that happened in Maco.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=649423