Church leaders appeal to army, NPA

From the Sun Star-Cagayan de Oro (Nov 19): Church leaders appeal to army, NPA

CHURCH leaders appealed to the military and the New People’s Army (NPA) to stop the fighting in the hinterland village in Claveria, Misamis Oriental as it has displaced residents caught in the crossfire.
 
Bishop Felixberto Calang, of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI), said the evacuation indicates that the pursuit operation of the military to rescue the two soldiers held captive by the Maoist rebels is now displacing the communities in the area.



[Video report: Army operation 'mihatag' og kadaot imbes kalinaw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3dU0U_qLCk]

[READ: MisOr villagers flee homes as Army, NPA clash]

According to Rogelio Plana, an official of the lumad group Kalumbay, around a hundred residents were compelled to abandon their homes in Sitio Lakbangan, Barangay Minalwang, Claveria, due to the spate of armed clashes between the soldiers and the NPA recently.

First Lieutenant Patrick Martinez, who acted as the spokesman of the Philippine Army’s 4th Infantry Division, earlier confirmed that the conduct of the combat operation in the area is part of the military’s effort to rescue Private First Class Marnel Cinches and Private First Class Jerrel Yorong who are kept captive by the NPA.

In the past weeks following the capture of Cinches and Yorong last August 22, the crisis committee of the province of Bukidnon, headed by Governor Jose Maria Zubiri, and a group of local clergy from different churches, have exerted efforts to facilitate the release of the captured soldiers through peaceful means.

“Sa tan-aw nato, kini unta ang unang buhaton sa AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) leadership imbes nga ang military operation kay mohatag kini og kadaut sa mga lumolupyo sa maong dapit (In my view, this should be the first step that the AFP leadership must take instead of military operation since it will adversely affect civilians living in the area),” Calang said, referring to the turnover of the two captive soldiers.

He said that based on his recent phone conversations with Zubiri, the governor has informed the military of the response of the NPA regarding the details on the conduct of the release.

Clarification

Calang said Zubiri told him the NPA wants clarification on the issue of the “stand down” instead of pullout if and when the turnover will take place.
The number of days that the suspension of military operation (Somo) is implemented also needs to be finalized by the AFP and the NPA.

“This (stand down) is a new term for them (NPA),” Calang said, adding that this condition set by the military leadership must be ironed out first.

Quoting Zubiri, Calang said the NPA also wanted the areas where the possible turnover to occur to be widened and should include more towns and villages in Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental.

Asked if the Roman Catholic and IFI churches, two of the religious institutions that have been working to ensure the safe release of the soldiers, are optimistic in spite of the insistence of the government forces to pursue the rebels who they believe are holding Cinches and Yorong in the hinterlands of Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental, Calang said they “will not lose hope.”

Can be resolved

With the active role that Zubiri has played, and through the religious leaders’ assistance, Calang said this would be resolved eventually.

“Kung nabuhat sa duha ka panig nga mabuhian ang mga nadakpan sa una, karon pa kaha (If the release of prisoners had been done in the past, why not now),” he added.

He said that while it would not be easy on the part of the NPA to release their captives considering that they and the military have not yet come to a mutual understanding, the turnover would happen.

“I believe nga sayon ‘ni mapangitaan og paagi (I believe it’s not difficult to look for solutions),” Calang said.

Calang said he would talk to Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and apprise him of the latest developments, including the displacement of the Claveria villagers, in the hopes the DND leadership can intervene on the matter.

Meanwhile, Bishop Jose Cabantan, of Malaybalay City, also urged both parties to find peaceful means in releasing the captured soldiers.

“Ila untang pamalundangan ang ilang buhaton aron magmalinawon ang pagbuhi sa duha ka sundalo (They should think it over so that the release of Cinches and Yorong would not result in bloodshed and violence),” Cabantan told reporters after officiating an ordination ceremony at the St. Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral Wednesday morning.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cagayan-de-oro/local-news/2014/11/19/church-leaders-appeal-army-npa-377494