Indignation rally vs NPA abuses held in Claveria town

From the Philippine Information Agency (Oct 14, 2020): Indignation rally vs NPA abuses held in Claveria town (By Vincent Philip S. Bautista)

CLAVERIA, Misamis Oriental, Oct. 14 (PIA) – Fed up with the abuses perpetrated by the New People's Army (NPA), the local government unit of Claveria together with the 58th Infantry Battalion and the Philippine National Police (PNP)-10 held recenty and indignation rally to denounce the NPA atrocities against civilians and contractors.

As a show of solidarity, town officials, PNP personnel, government troops and other stakeholders converged at Barangay Bulahan to condemn the abuses committed by the Communist Party of the Phippines (CPP) and its armed group NPA. To further bolster the International Humanitarian Law initiatives of the municipality, The Local Government Unit (LGU) of Claveria alongside the 58th Infantry Battalion (IB) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) – 10 held an Indignation Rally in Barangay Bulahan to reprimand the death and destruction caused by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) and show solidarity in ending local communist armed conflict (ELCAC) in their area.

Despite the Coronavirus (COVID) – 19 health crisis currently happening worldwide, the CPP-NPA terrorist group continued inciting superfluous fear by burning three dump trucks on a plantation site in Sitio Talambao affecting an estimated 160 employees.

“Kaning ato problema sa insurgency, kinahanglan gyud ni ug whole of nation approach, mao ni atong presidente mismo nag pa gawas ug Executive Order 70 mao kini ang is aka aksyon sa atong national leadership para once and for all ma undang na jud ning local communist armed conflict or ELCAC,” 58 Infantry Battalion Commanding Officer Ricky Canatoy shared.

(This insurgency problem needs a whole of nation approach, that’s why our president sign Executive Order 70 as an action from our national leadership to once and for all end local communist armed conflict)

Canatoy added that after five decades of the fighting the bane of insurgency, the government has realized that a whole-of-nation approach is the solution to finally ending it, underscoring the importance of social development and the involvement of the community with the support of the AFP in dismantling the misguided ideology of the CPP-NPA.

“Kung ni lambo ang lungsod ang Claveria karon na panahona, ang isa ka hinungdan ana kay ang kalinaw ug kahusay,” Claveria Mayor Meraluna S. Abrogar shared.

(One of the reasons why Claveria is flourishing now is because of peace and security)

Since the declaration of 5 barangays in the municipality as insurgency free and the development of the tourism sector in the area, the municipality has seen a steady economic and social growth which the mayor attributes to the peace and security efforts done by the EO-70 task group.

“With the help of the AFP, PNP, and the community paningkamotan gyud na dili pa daogon or palamboon sa ilang mga plano na pag daot kung unsa’y sakto (we will strive to not let them win in their efforts to disrupt what is just),” she reassured.

To cap off the rally, the participants and the community burned the CPP-NPA flag as a symbolization of their unity in having a zero-tolerance approach against the scourge of the terrorist group. (VPBautista/PIA10)

https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1055841