Despite reports that armed men have been spotted in a town in Bohol, the top official of the Philippine Army here said the province is still free of insurgents.
Col. Ignacio Madriaga, commander of the 302nd Infantry Brigade, on Friday expressed his appreciation to the community for giving information about the movements of armed men.
The military confirmed the reports that two to three armed men were spotted in Sevilla town recently. Sevilla town is about 22 kilometers north of capital Tagbilaran City.
Madriaga said the men may be touching base with their former colleagues or cadre in the New People's Army (NPA) in an effort to revive the insurgency movement in the province.
Bohol was once a hotbed of insurgency during the 1990s.
However, eight years ago, security forces and the provincial government declared the province to be insurgency free.
Every year, the province celebrates the Provincial Day of Peace to commemorate the day the province was finally rid of the communist members.
Madriaga said the armed men may be attempting to regain mass base in Bohol.
They may be contacting their former members, said Madriaga.
Former members of the NPA also confirmed that the armed men are members of the military front of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
In a media forum also on Friday, Bohol Governor Edgar Chatto gave a strong statement to those who want to disrupt the peace and order situation in the province to think twice.
The Boholanos are no longer interested in joining any insurgency organization and are fully cooperative with the security forces, he said.
Chatto cited the Inabanga episode as an example where the people provided the security forces information about the bandits that led to the total neutralization of the 11 men who entered Bohol.
Chatto, however, did not give a categorical answer whether Bohol is still insurgency free, saying it is the authorities who are in the best position to provide an answer to that question.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1024706
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