NPA’s extortion activities revealed in documents seized at encounter site

From the Manila Bulletin (Dec 20): NPA’s extortion activities revealed in documents seized at encounter site

Butuan City – Extortion letters to businessmen, mining companies, permits to campaign (PTCs) and permits to win (PTWs) were among the materials confiscated by the military over the weekend during clearing operations in an encounter site with the New People’s Army in Lianga town, Surigao del Sur.

Field reports said that troops of Alpha Company, under the command of First Lt. Karl Ian Devaras of the 75th Infantry Battalion (75th IB), discovered the materials during the clearing operations.

(Photo courtesy of google maps)

Also recovered were an AK 47 assault rifle, three AK 47 fully loaded magazines, two jungle packs, seven improvised explosive devices (IEDs), six blasting caps, bomb-making materials, two rifle grenades, two M203 grenades, several empty cartridge shells from assorted firearms and several subversive documents.

The PTCs and PTWs were addressed to politicians who will be seeking election in Surigao del Sur in May, 2016.

 

“Our clearing operation troops also discovered several blood stains in the encounter site and in their (NPAs) escape route of withdrawal,” claimed Col. Isidro A. Purisima, commanding officer of the 402nd Infantry (Stingers) Brigade.

The clearing operations came after the 75th IB engaged NPA rebels Thursday morning on two separate occasions in Kilometer 9 and Sitio Han-ayan in Barangay Diatagon after the latter tried to prevent lumads from returning home after months at an evacuation site in Tandag City
http://www.mb.com.ph/npas-extortion-activities-revealed-in-documents-seized-at-encounter-site/