'Collusion' between Abu, NPAs eyed

From the Visayan Daily Star (Apr 22): 'Collusion' between Abu, NPAs eyed

Navy Capt. George Ibarra, Task Force Deter commander, theorized that Abu Sayyaf Group bandits may be talking with the New People's Army in a bid to pursue their mission to kidnap prominent personalities in the Visayas.

Ibarra does not discount the possibility of a situation where NPA rebels will do the kidnapping and then sell their victims to the ASG, who will in turn demand for millions of pesos in ransom money from the families of their victims.

Ibarra is hoping the situation will not reach to this point while the task force is validating and processing intelligence information about sightings of armed individuals in parts of Sta. Catalina.

Gov. Roel Degamo was told that the armed individuals, who were sighted in Fatima and Omanod, Sta. Catalina, are NPA rebels who fled Bohol after the encounter, and on their way to Negros Occidental through Payaw-payawan.

Degamo stressed during a meeting yesterday with coastal barangay captains from Basay to Manjuyod, including their mayors, that the ASG threat is not only the concern of the governor, the mayor or the law enforcers, but for everybody to unite so the province will be sealed from this group of terrorists.

http://www.visayandailystar.com/2017/April/22/negor2.htm