Police release photos of Cagayan NPA rebels

From the Military Times (Feb 8): Police release photos of Cagayan NPA rebels

THE Police Regional Office 2 (PRO2) in Camp Marcelo Adduro in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan on Wednesday made public photos of 11 alleged active members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in the region.

Chief Supt. Jose Mario Espino, PRO2 regional director, said the police infographic material released on social media is for the public to know the NPA members who are actively operating in the region.

“They are the ones who sow fear and terror in many communities in the Cagayan Valley region,” Espino said.

He said there is a need to make known important information to the people about the rebels and for the public to easily identify NPA members who still roam around their respective communities.

“We are doing this because we believe this is one way to protect citizens from the rebel group,” Espino said as he called on the public to cooperate with the authorities by giving correct information “to stop once and for all the problem of insurgency.”

Espino said he believes that the rebel group membership has been diminishing because of the support received by the government from residents of affected communities.

Intelligence reports the community confirmed said the communist rebels continue to recruit in remote and upland areas in Region 2.

The NPAs have also intensified its attacks on police and military stations after President Duterte called off the peace talks between the government and leaders of the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front-NPA late last year in the wake of unabated atrocities committed by the rebels.

But the police officer said the military’s and the police’s continuing offensives in cooperation with citizens have also weakened NPA forces and that “insurgency in the country will soon be a thing of the past.”

Meanwhile, arrested members of the rebel group – Rey Busania, Raul Merano and Arnold Jamias – who were allegedly responsible for the April 2017 attack in Maddela town police station in Quirino province that resulted in the death of Police Officer 2 Jerome Luwi Cardenas, are now facing criminal charges in court.

http://www.manilatimes.net/police-release-photos-cagayan-npa-rebels/378807/