Intensify police community works to defeat Reds: PNP

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 21, 2021): Intensify police community works to defeat Reds: PNP (By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan)

JUSTICE VOWED. Lt. Gen Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar, PNP officer-in-charge, comforts Herlyn Azanon (left) and Roger Estoy Sr. (right), partner and father, respectively of Staff Sgt. Roger Alay Estoy, Jr., who was among the five members of the Camarines Norte Police Provincial Mobile Force Company killed in an ambush by the communist rebels while securing a government road project in Labo, Camarines Norte evening of March 19. Eleazar personally assured all the assistance to the families of slain/wounded policemen and vowed to serve justice against the perpetrators during his visit on March 21. (PNP photo)

Philippine National Police (PNP) officer-in-charge, Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, on Sunday has ordered all police units based in areas heavily infiltrated by the Communist Party of the Philippines - New People's Army (CPP-NPA) to beef up their police-community works as part of the efforts to defeat the violence being perpetrated by the communist terrorists.

Eleazar, in a statement, said the order was reached after discussions with PNP chief, Gen. Debold Sinas.

Earlier, Eleazar visited Daet, Camarines Norte to personally check on the medical condition of the two wounded policemen and pay his last respects to the five other members of the 2nd Camarines Norte Police Provincial Mobile Force Company who were killed in an NPA ambush in Labo town on Friday night.

He handed over the PNP's financial assistance to the wounded personnel and the families of the policemen who died in the ambush.

He said Friday’s ambush was planned and this means that the local residents either aided the planned attacks as supporters or out of fear, or they have knowledge of the presence of the communist rebels before the attack.

Eleazar's order is in support of the objective of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF ELCAC) to put an end to the 52-year old communist insurgency problem in the country through a "whole-of-government" approach by encouraging NPA rebels to surrender and enlisting the support of the people in the community through peace and development programs.

The NTF ELCAC, which is chaired by President Rodrigo R. Duterte himself, is implementing the Barangay Development Program that allocates funds to the barangays previously infested but already cleared of the influence of the communist terrorists.

The program, which is being spearheaded by National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Jr., include livelihood opportunity, road construction and improvement, water, health and sanitation, and projects related to education. The local community has been deprived of those projects due to the presence of the communists.

The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1134387