Army to talk to contractors on alleged rebel extortion

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 15): Army to talk to contractors on alleged rebel extortion

The 301st Infantry Brigade (301st IB) of the Philippine Army is planning to gather the contractors in Panay island this month, a move geared towards addressing the problem on extortion activities of rebel groups, Col. Benedict Arevalo said.

In an interview on Tuesday, he confirmed they are continuously receiving reports on the ongoing extortion activities by the New People’s Army (NPA), especially that there have been a lot of projects being implemented in the different parts of the island.

“We need to take care of these projects,” said Arevalo, commander of 301st IB.

“We want to counter the extortion activities of these rebel groups,” he said.

Arevalo said the upcoming meeting will gather information from the contractors especially the “extortion letters” they are receiving from the rebels and validate them.

“You should not be afraid to tell us if you have already gave them (rebels) because we cannot help you if you will not tell us any information,” he said.

Arevalo added that the meeting will also tackle their initiatives on how they could protect the contractors against the extortion activities of the rebels.

Arevalo earlier said an estimated 200 NPA members are operating in Panay island.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1044956