Communist rebels denounced

From the Visayan Daily Star (Nov 5, 2019): Communist rebels denounced

The Philippine National Police has vowed to establish the links of arrested Negrense activists to the New People’s Army, while Brig. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander is, calling on the whole province of Negros Occidental to stand up and speak up against organizations exploiting minors, and supporting the communist insurgency.

“We should not be fence-sitters and just watch what is happening around,” Arevalo said yesterday, adding that “For evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing”. He acknowledged that some local government units in Negros Occidental have already done their share in ending local insurgency problem.

Valladolid Mayor Enrique Miravalles, president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines-Negros Occidental chapter, said that the league is supporting the AFP and PNP in their aim to end the local communist armed conflict, that is also shared by Bacolod Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran.

Miravalles and Familiaran were among the speakers at the peace rally in front of the old Bacolod City Hall, that was participated in by hundreds of Negrenses, who aired their sentiments against the recruitment of minors to join the armed struggle.

Of the 55 persons arrested in the series of raids in the offices of Anakpawis and Gabriela party-list groups, Bayan-Negros, Kilusang Mayo Uno and the National Federation of Sugarcane Workers in Brgys. Bata, 33 and Taculing, Bacolod City on Oct. 31, the military claimed that 42 of them have links to the Komiteng Rehiyonal-Negros-Cebu-Siquijor-Bohol, while 13 are minors also being trained to be rebel “child warriors”.

Two others who were arrested in Escalante City on Nov. 1 also yielded guns and explosives.

Following the filing of charges against the arrested activists in Bacolod and Escalante cities in Negros Occidental, PNP officer-in-charge Lt. Gen. Archie Gamboa said yesterday that they will prove the links of the detained suspects to the NPA.

Gamboa, in a weekly press briefing at Camp Crame, yesterday expressed his dismay that some non-government organizations are claiming to be doing humanitarian works, but are doing otherwise.

Gamboa said he believes that the PNP and AFP have broken the CPP-NPA in Western and Central Visayas, with the arrest of rebel key personalities and the rescue of child warriors.

“Now they (CPP-NPA) are starting to feel and get hurt in the campaign of government to end the local communist terrorists, and will continue to do so unless they stop,” Gamboa said.

As to claims about the assorted guns and explosives seized during combined police operations, Gamboa said “Legitimacy is a status which they can prove during the trial, if ever this will be pursued in court”.

“Planting of evidence, stolen items are the usual allegations when we conduct search warrants”, he said. That is why, he added, the law provides that there should be representatives of a local government or media to witness the service of search warrants to disprove all the allegations.

But let them prove in court that those are planted evidences, he added.

On the recruitment of minors by the communist movement, Familiaran encouraged parents to monitor closely the activities of their children, who their friends are and the groups they are affiliated with.

The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office yesterday condemned the use of child warriors by the CPP-NPA.

Col. Romeo Baleros, provincial police director of Negros Occidental, said the presence of minors in the raided compounds, where caches of firearms and subversive documents were discovered, is highly indicative of the indoctrination activities and training of minors to be used by the CPP-NPA.

In response to possible retaliation activities of the NPA, Baleros assured Negrenses that they are always ready to ensure that peace and order reigns in Negros Occidental.

Arevalo, however, said that the NPA should expect retaliatory attacks from them, in defense of Negrenses, they have victimized with their terroristic activities and deceptions.*

http://www.visayandailystar.com/2019/November/05/topstory2.htm