CAGAYAN DE CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 1, 2010) – Armed tribesmen clashed with communist rebels in the southern Philippines leaving one person dead, the military said on Monday.
It said the fighting broke out in Agusan del Sur’s Esperanza town after rebels attacked tribesmen in the village of Kinamaybay. The weekend clash also left a still undetermined number of New People’s Army rebels.
The motive of the attack was unknown, but the military said the rebels were harassing the natives in the past. The tribesmen were known to actively support the government’s anti-insurgency campaign in the province.
The rebels have previously accused the military of arming tribesmen to fight the NPA, an allegation denied by security officials. The NPA is fighting for decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (With a report from Merlyn Manos)
Monday, November 01, 2010
NPA rebels kill Mindanao tribesman
Sunday, October 17, 2010
NPA rebels kill 2 pro-army militias in Agusan Sur
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 17, 2010) – Two pro-government militias were killed and two others wounded in a clash with communist rebels in Agusan del Sur province in the southern Philippines, an army spokesman said Sunday.
Officials said the fighting broke out in the village of Manat in Trento town after militias intercepted Saturday a group of New People’s Army rebels. One of the dead was the leader of the militias, John Mark Domogoy.
“Pursuit operation is going on,” said Major Noli Kanashiro, of the 4th Infantry Division. “Villagers are now defending themselves against the NPA which has been victimizing innocent civilians. The people are angry and they are now fighting back to defend themselves.”
He said the fighting also left a still undermined number of casualties on the rebel side. He said NPA forces also left behind one M14 automatic rifle and two land mines, including a medical kit.
On Saturday, security forces also clashed with NPA rebels in Davao del Sur and wounding three soldiers in the village of Sinoron in Santa Cruz town where troops had been tracking down the gunmen tagged as behind the spate of attacks in the province.
The NPA is the armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines which has been waging a secessionist war for decades now.
New Zealand has only this month blacklisted the CPP and the NPA and included the two groups on its list of international terrorist organizations. (Mindanao Examiner)
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Troops capture NPA camp in Davao City
Officials said the fighting erupted in Davao City, a known lair of New People’s Army in Mindanao. The fighting in the village of Carmen lasted for an hour, said Lieutenant Colonel Medel Aguilar, a spokesman for the 10th Infantry Division.
“The firefight lasted for one hour. We have seized their camp, including subversive documents and improvised explosives,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.
Medel said there were no reports of military casualties, but claimed several rebels were either killed or wounded in the battle.
He did not say what triggered the clashes, but the armed encounter occurred just five days after thousands of troops arrived in Davao to augment security forces fighting communist rebels. The troops, who belong to the 701st Infantry Brigade, arrived Saturday from Luzon Island.
The rebels are fighting for decades for the establishment of a communist state in the largely Catholic Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
In Mindanao, Pa finds missing son at last...
DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 6, 2010) - The search for his missing son ended on Monday morning. Though grieving and in pain, Maneja Andoyo heaved a sigh of relief upon finding his son’s skeletal remains in a shallow grave located at a mountainous area of Compostela Valley province.
Born on November 18, 1992, Bobong Andoyo joined the New People’s Army at the age of 15 more than two years ago. He left his home in Barangay Prosperidad, Montevista, Compostela Valley Province four days before his 17thbirthday. He never returned home since then.
Maneja raised and spent around fifty thousand pesos from selling whatever little possessions he had to look for his son. He traveled to many places including military camps where his son allegedly surrendered as claimed by his comrades in the underground movement.
He and his wife knew about their son’s plan to surrender but the apathy and indifference of the NPA to their concern for the well being of Bobong made them more worried and anxious.
Though tired and frustrated, he could not just stop because he always dreamt about his son calling out his name and pleading for help.
Bobong and his younger brother Rodrigo joined the NPA at the same time.
Unlike Bobong, Rodrigo could not bear the hunger and the physical and mental exhaustion he experienced so he turned his back to the rebel group who encouraged him to join the armed group in order to uplift his family from poverty. Staring blankly at the empty space, he felt the guilt of leaving his brother to die in the hands of the people of proudly claim to be the defender of the masses.
A rebel returnee who belonged to the same unit with Bobong revealed that the latter and a certain “Jeffrey” had deserted sometime in November last year bringing with them their firearms. This angered their unit commander who ordered a team to find and punish the “traitors”. The incident that followed later is history.
On the information fed by a resident of Sitio Pundasyon, Maneja finally learned that his son was executed by his own comrades. For fear that, he too, would be harmed if he would go to the site where his son was buried; he sought the assistance of the military. Lieutenant Colonel Ferdinand Napuli, the Commander of the Army’s 3rd Special Forces Battalion, immediately organized a team that would secure Maneja and his relatives. Personnel of the Scene of the Crime Operations in Nabunturan were also deployed to help in the exhumation task.
With trembling hands, Maneja helped dig the unmarked site where Bobong was buried. Tears were flowing down his eyes as they continued to remove the earth piled on top of the lonely grave. Not long after, Maneja found him there lying in the company of another victim identified by her own mother as Reto Mawang alias Jeffrey.
Bobong was still clad with the black long sleeve shirt and the fatigues, the same clothes he was wearing when he left home eleven months ago.
With the assistance of the military, the skeletal remains of the two were brought to a funeral parlor in Panabo City for cleaning and further examination. Apparently, they two were shot at close range.
Now at peace with himself, Maneja calls out to families whose kins are active members of the NPA to encourage them to surrender so as not to suffer the same fate as his son’s. “Giawhag nako katong mga ginikanan nga adunay anak, paryente o kaila nga miyembro sa NPA nga ilang panaugon arun dili masusama sa nahitabo sa akong anak,” he said in a statement released by the 10th Infantry Division.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Villagers decry militarization in Davao City
Villagers and church people hold a candlelight protest late Tuesday, September 14, 2010 to condemn the continued militarization of a village in Davao City in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner Photo – Karlos Manlupig)Church people and member of the Exodus for Justice and Peace also joined the rally and urged security operators to demilitarize the Paquibato District which the military claimed is under the influence of communist rebels.
The villagers lit candles and offered prayers for two civilians – Reynaldo Labrador and Julius Tamondes in Paquibato in Davao City -allegedly killed by troops and government militias since last month.
Another civilian, Vicente Felisilda, was also murdered allegedly by the military in Mawab town in Compostela Valley Province.
The communist National Democratic Front also condemned the murders and said it occurred in less than a month since President Benigno Aquino formally took office in June.
“The National Democratic Front of the Philippines-Southern Mindanao strongly condemns the continuing policy of extra-judicial killing of civilians by the new Aquino regime. Aquino has only contradicted himself when he vouched for his armed forces' commitment to champion human rights parallel to the extension of the US-sponsored and dictated counter-insurgency Oplan Bantay Laya II,” said Rubi del Mundo, the group’s spokesman for Mindanao.
Del Mundo was referring to the government’s anti-insurgency campaign in the country.
“Aquino has only unmasked himself as no different from his predecessor, the criminal Gloria Arroyo, for destroying civilian lives and livelihood in the guise of the regime's counter-revolutionary policy,” he said, adding, “all these murders happened amid the intense fascist operations in Southern Mindanao which is considered a priority region for Oplan Bantay Laya.”
“Similar to other extra-judicial killings, all the victims are civilians; and have been threatened earlier, and arbitrarily tagged by the military as "supporters" of the revolutionary movement - or like Tamondes, killed in an indiscriminate AFP-supported tribal vendetta to sow terror in the Davao City hinterlands,” Del Mundo said.
Del Mundo said since 2006, the military allegedly violated the rights of villagers and in many cases mauled, tortured, illegally detained and interrogated, and even threatened innocent people who were accused of supporting the rebels.
The military denied all the accusations and said troops were deployed in villages to protect them from the rebels. (With a report from Karlos Manlupig)
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Troops recover explosives cache in South RP
Photos released by the Philippine Army’s 4th Infantry Division shows two unidentified soldiers arranging dynamites troops recovered in Surigao del Sur’s Tagbina town. (Mindanao Examiner)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 7, 2010) – Philippine troops recovered dozens of dynamite sticks believed left behind by communist rebels in the southern province of Surigao del Sur, officials said Tuesday.
Officials said troops from the 75th and 23rd Infantry Battalions stumbled upon the cache of explosives on a trail frequented by rebels in the village of Santa Juana in Tagbina town.
“We have recovered a total of 68 sticks of dynamite. The recovery of these explosives saves a lot of life. The New People’s Army rebels have been using explosives to attack military and civilian targets in the southern Philippines,” said Army Lieutenant Colonel Triumph Dominic Bagaipo, a spokesman for the 4th Infantry Division.
He said more troops have been deployed in the province to hunt down the rebels who were behind the spate of attacks in recent months. The rebels are fighting for decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (With a report from Geo Solmerano)
Thursday, August 26, 2010
NPA rebels kill soldier in Mindanao clash
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 26, 2010) – Communist rebels killed a government soldier in a clash Thursday in the southern Philippine province of Bukidnon, officials said.
Officials said the fighting erupted after troops ran into a group of New People’s Army rebels in the village of Santa Filomena in Quezon town.
The fighting, which lasted more than half an hour, left a still undetermined number of rebels dead and wounded, said Army Lieutenant Colonel Triumph Bagaipo, a spokesman for the 4th Infantry Division.
“The troops were on combat patrol towards when the firefight broke out that lasted for about 35 minutes until the terrorists withdrew. Santa Filomena is considered as a guerilla base of the local terrorist operating in the area. It is from this community that they get their much-needed logistical and financial support through extortion from sugar cane and corn growers,” he said.
Bagaipo did not say whether more soldiers were wounded in the fighting, but said troops had been ordered to track down the rebels.
It was the second fighting between security and rebel forces since Tuesday in northern Mindanao. Communist rebels also killed five army soldiers in a firefight Tuesday in the village of Fortuna in Agusan del Sur's Veruela town. The clash broke out after dozens of rebels attacked a military detachment.
The New People’s Army is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines which is fighting for decades now for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
5 soldiers killed in NPA attack in Southern Philippines
Officials said one soldier was also wounded in the fighting that erupted in the village of Fortuna in Agusan del Sur's Veruela town. The clash broke out after dozens of New People’s Army rebels attacked a military detachment.
The fighting lasted several minutes and only stopped after rebels retreated to the hills. It was not immediately known whether any of the attackers were wounded or killed in the clash.
“There is an operation going on aimed at tracking down the rebels in the province,” said Lieutenant Colonel Triumph Dominic Bagaipo, a spokesman for the Army’s 4th Infantry Division.
There New People’s Army, armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, is fighting for decades now for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (With reports from Merlyn Manos and Becky de Asis)
Friday, August 06, 2010
2 soldiers killed, 4 civilians wounded in Mindanao rebel attack
Officials said more than a dozen New People’s Army rebels opened fire on a group of tribesmen and soldiers traveling on motorcycles on their way to attend a forum in Colosas village in Paquibato district.
The leader of the tribesmen, Datu Ruben Labawan, of the Davao Supreme Tribal Council for Peace and Development, survived the ambush, but four of his companions were wounded.
“The soldiers were escorting the tribal leaders when rebels ambushed them, said Captain Emmanuel Garcia, a spokesman for The 10th Infantry Division. He said the soldiers fought back, but were overpowered by rebels and eventually killed.
The motive of the attack was unknown, but an army commander, Brigadier General Eduardo del Rosario, said rebels have previously murdered tribesmen and their leaders who refused illegal taxation. Others were abducted and killed for their refusals to join the rebel group.
“Tribal leaders fighting for the rights of their people are the usual targets for assassination of the NPA. This is a deplorable act and must be condemned by every sector of the society. Such evil deed of the NPA cements their reputation as a terror group and not a revolutionary one,” he said.
He said last month, rebels also abducted and executed tribal leader Kito Melody in Columbio town in Sultan Kudarat province after he resisted extortion and recruitment by the NPA in his village.
Last year, rebels also murdered dozens of tribesmen in Davao and Sultan Kudarat and the military claimed that from 1998 to 2008, some 357 tribesmen had been killed by the NPA in the region.
There was no immediate statement from the NPA about the allegations, but the rebel group is fighting for decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
Friday, July 30, 2010
4 soldiers wounded in roadside bombings in South RP
DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 30, 2010) – Four government soldiers pursuing communist rebels were wounded Friday in two roadside bombings blamed to the Maoist New People’s Army in Davao City in the southern Philippines, officials said.
The explosion occurred in Paquibato district where troops were tracking down the rebels, who had been blamed in the spate of attacks on military and police forces in Davao City.
Major General Carlos Holganza, commander of the Philippine Army’s 10th Infantry Division, condemned the attacks. “These terrorists have repeatedly ignored and violated every known tenets of International Humanitarian Law and utterly disregarded the safety of civilians who might be hurt by planting improvised explosive devices on road nets just like the previous incidents,” Holganza said.
He said at least 11 people, mostly soldiers, were killed and 30 others wounded last year in Davao region alone.
The twin attacks came a month after new Philippine President Benigno Aquino III said he would forge a cease-fire and resume peace talks with communist rebels. Peace talks collapsed in 2004 after rebel leaders accused President Gloria Arroyo of reneging on several agreements, among them the release of all political prisoners languishing in jails and to put a stop to extrajudicial killings of political activists.
But the Communist Party of the Philippines warned the Aquino government against using the "immediate ceasefire" line as the premise for the resumption of formal peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.
The Communist Party of the Philippines said it is ready to immediately resume formal peace negotiations based on previously agreed principles and agenda and without any preconditions. “If Aquino insists on having peace talks premised on an immediate ceasefire, he will be reducing his peace declarations to empty rhetoric,” the CPP said.
“The CPP challenged Aquino to immediately commence negotiations and abide by previous agreements, including The Hague Joint Declaration of 1992 which sets the framework, principles, agenda and sequence of the peace negotiations,” it said.
“For the armed revolutionary forces, engaging in peace talks while their weapons are tied up violates the revolutionary principles and virtually holds us hostage. It would be foolish for us to expect to talk on fair and equal terms regarding life-and-death questions with the other side, when we have our arms dropped while the forces on other side have the barrels of their guns pointed at our heads.”
The rebels are fighting for decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Philippine military tags NPA as terror group
DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 6, 2010) – The Philippine military on Tuesday branded as propaganda claims by communist New People’s Army rebels that it is recruiting minors to help the government fight insurgents in Mindanao.
Captain Emmanuel Garcia, a regional army spokesman, said the allegations were baseless to hide the NPA’s continued violations of human rights on civilians and terror activities in the southern region.
The NPA accused the military of recruiting Juve Latiban (identified as Job by the military), then 16 years old, to be a member of the government militia group – Civilian Auxiliary Forces Geographical Unit - and fight insurgents.
Latiban and another soldier, Sergeant Bienvenido Arguelles, were seized by rebels on June 19 in the village of Upper Ulip in Compostela Valley’s Monkayo town and are being held as prisoners of war.
“The cat is finally out of the bag. Now it can be said without any shade of public doubt. That in its failed and defeated Operation Plan Bantay Laya II, the 10th Infantry Division of the Armed Forces of the Philippines recruits and arms minors as combat pawns in its war against the people and the revolutionary forces. That what it accuses the people's army of doing turns out to be a matter of official policy in its ranks, long practiced in their counter-revolutionary theater,” said Rigoberto Sanchez, a spokesman for the NPA’s Merardo Arce Command.
Sanchez said the military recruiter of Latiban provided him and 18 other minors with fake birth certificates to cover their real ages.
But Garcia turned the table on the rebel group and said: “The propaganda mill of the terrorists is working overtime after a rattled silence in their panic to divert the case from the real issue of kidnapping and trying to smokescreen their apparent inability to shield their armed front from the wrath of the people in view of their terror attacks against our citizens, against development, against progress and against our country.”
“The irony of all ironies has been let loose by kidnappers who want to deceive the people for the nth time and divert the issue of kidnapping to their irresponsible and baseless accusation that the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (member) they abducted is a minor. The allegation is a ploy to malign the Armed Forces as an institution together with government instrumentality and community organizations who certified that those who voluntarily joined the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit to watch over their communities are falsifiers.”
Garcia said members of the paramilitary force is a community watch group against rebels and criminal elements and that all volunteers pass through stringent screening to find out fraudulent applications.
“Volunteers are nominated by the Barangay (village) or Municipal Peace and Order Councils through a resolution and aside from the birth certificate, the certification of local officials as for their ages as well as the applicant’s good standing in the community is sought contrary to the communists’ recruitment tactic of hoodwink in deceiving the parents of the children whom they have recruited and put in harm’s way and deny the child warriors’ existence when they are captured, surrendered or worse, killed in combat,” he said.
Garcia said more than a dozen minors who were recruited by the NPA as rebels surrendered to the 10th Infantry Division since last year.
“All of them recruited, armed and manipulated by the NPA under the absolute order of the Communist Party of the Philippines in doing terror attacks against our own people,” he said, adding, the solid proof of a child warrior and a celebrated one at that is the case of Zaldy Canete alias Jinggoy, who surrendered to the military and admitted to have been recruited by the NPA at the age of 13 and at 16 was already fighting troops alongside veteran rebels in Compostela Valley province.
“Now, Job Latiban is being held against his will and is subjected to unimaginable torment of being abducted by a dreaded group that gained notoriety in killing people with total disregard to human rights and mass murder even of its own kind.”
“The pronouncement that Latiban attested that he is a minor is an offshoot of their systematic psychological torture against an individual under duress who might have been forced to accept a bitter choice than to suffer a deadly fate that has befallen so many God-fearing and service oriented troops whom they have abducted and mercilessly murdered in the guise of revolutionary justice like Sergeant Rolen Maglangit whom they killed in May 22 last year,” Garcia said.
Garcia said the rebels boast of a justice system where they are the prosecutor, the judge and the executioner rolled into one. He said no one can expect justice in such a mockery where cases are fabricated and the individual is forced to face a Kangaroo court against concocted pieces of evidence.
“Anyone under duress and subjected to such torment especially by a Godless terrorist organization like the Communist Party of the Philippines and its New People’s Army and National Democratic Front will admit anything and follow their every whim,” Garcia added.
The rebels are fighting the past four decades to topple the democratic government and establish a Maoist state in the country. Peace talks between Manila and the rebel group collapsed in 2004 after the CPP accused President Gloria Arroyo of reneging on several accords, among them the release of all political prisoners and the commitment to take steps to undo the inclusion of the CPP, NPA and NDF chief consultant Jose Maria Sison in the U.S. and other nations’ list of "foreign terrorists."
But new Filipino leader, Benigno Simeon Aquino III, said he will pursue peace talks with communist rebels in an effort to end bloody fighting in the Philippines.
The CPP said it would welcome new peace talks with Aquino and asked Manila to commit itself to all previous agreements, including The Hague Joint Declaration of 1992 which set the guiding principles, framework, agenda and procedures for the talks, the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees and the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law.
It also urged the Aquino government to resolve the outstanding cases of abduction and enforced disappearance of NDF peace consultants, including Leo Velasco, Prudencio Calubid and Rogelio Calubad and their staff members and called for the immediate release of Eduardo Sarmiento, Eduardo Serrano, Glicerio Pernia, Angela Ipong, Jaime Soledad, Randy Malayao, Alfredo Mapano, Jovencio Balweg and other consultants who were arrested during the previous Arroyo regime and continue to languish in prisons.
Authorities said those arrested were notorious rebel leaders. (Mindanao Examiner)
Sunday, July 04, 2010
NPA accuses Philippine military of recruiting minors to fight rebels
DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 4, 2010) – The communist New People’s Army rebels have accused the Philippine military of continuously recruiting minors to fight insurgents in Mindanao.
The NPA said it arrested a 17-year old militia who was recruited by government soldiers to fight rebel forces in Compostela Valley province.
“The cat is finally out of the bag. Now it can be said without any shade of public doubt. That in its failed and defeated Operation Plan Bantay Laya II, the 10th Infantry Division of the Armed Forces of the Philippines recruits and arms minors as combat pawns in its war against the people and the revolutionary forces. That what it accuses the people's army of doing turns out to be a matter of official policy in its ranks, long practiced in their counter-revolutionary theater,” said Rigoberto Sanchez, a spokesman for the NPA’s Merardo Arce Command.
Oplan Bantay Laya refers to the codename of the government’s anti-insurgency operations in the country.
Sanchez said the militia, Juve Latiban, who is a member of the Civilian Auxiliary Force Geographical Unit of the Philippine Army, was arrested at a rebel checkpoint last month.
“Born on October 7, 1992, Juve Latiban was not even 16 years old when recruited in October 2008 by Private First Class Alvin Latiban of Upper Ulip (village) in Monkayo town in Compostela Valley.”
“Together with his batch mates that included 18 other minors, they underwent 45-day training at the 1001st Infantry Brigade headquarters in Tuburan (village) in Mawab town in Compostela Valley,” Sanchez said, quoting from information provided by the arrested militia.
He said the militia also told the NPA that they were provided fake birth certificates which stated they were already 18 years old when recruited by the military as militias.
“Juve Latiban attested that he and the 18 other minors in his batch were given fake birth certificates by Private First Class Latiban. His own bogus birth certificate showed that he was born on 1990 instead of the factual 1992 so that it would appear that he was already 18 at the time of his training.”
“He confessed that the 72nd Infantry Battalion trainers knew their actual ages. His first assignment was at the Philippine Army detachment in Upper Ulip in Monkayo. Private First Class Latiban is now assigned in the 10th Infantry Division,” Sanchez said.
The NPA said the militia is only temporarily under custody and would be released as soon as government troops pull out from areas where rebel forces are actively operating in the province.
Aside from Latiban, rebel forces are also holding Sergeant Bienvenido Arguelles who was seized June 19 in the village of Uper Ulip in Compostela Valley’s Monkayo town.
The rebels are fighting for decades now for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
Friday, July 02, 2010
Two soldiers wounded in NPA fighting in Davao City
DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 2, 2010) – Two government soldiers were wounded in a firefight Friday with communist rebels in Davao City in the southern Philippines, officials said.
Officials said the fighting broke out after troops stormed a rebel encampment ran by the New People’s Army in the village of Sibulan in Toril District.
Army Captain Emmanuel Garcia, a spokesman for the 10th Infantry Division, quoting reports from the 84th Infantry Battalion, said the fighting lasted more than 30 minutes, but there were no reports of rebel casualties.
“A major encampment was discovered due to the presence of wooden bunkers and running trenches which made the entry of troops even harder. Government troops suffered two slightly wounded during the exchange of fire,” he said.
Garcia said: “The NPA, under the absolute control of the Communist Party of the Philippines, has been fighting the government for the last 41 years, but no significant gain was established due to its lack of people’s support and terrorist activities.” (Mindanao Examiner)
Thursday, July 01, 2010
3 wounded in NPA raid in Compostela Valley
DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 1, 2010) – Communist rebels attacked a military patrol base wounding 3 people in the southern Philippines, an army spokesman said Thursday.
Captain Emmanuel Garcia, of the 10th Infantry Division, said some 50 rebels attacked the base late Wednesday in Compostela Valley’s Maragusan town. He said two soldiers and a civilian were wounded in the raid.
Troops fought the rebels – members of the New People’s Army - for more than half an hour until the attackers retreated on two trucks they earlier hijacked in the town, Garcia said. “Government soldiers recovered one of the trucks and pursuit operation is going on.”
Major General Carlos Holganza, commander of the 10th Infantry Division, said the rebels disregarded the safety of civilians when they attacked the patrol base. He said many civilians were near the base when rebels attacked.
The rebels are fighting for decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
Sunday, June 27, 2010
2 NPA rebels killed in new clashes in Mindanao
DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 27, 2010) - Government troops killed two communist rebels in a clash Sunday in the southern Philippines, officials said.
Officials said soldiers also overran a rebel camp and recovered four improvised explosives following the fighting in Davao Oriental’s Cateel town. One soldier was wounded in the firefight, said Captain Emmanuel Garcia, a spokesman for the Army’s 10th Infantry Division.
He said troops clashed with about 50 New People’s Army rebels in the village of Aliwagwag after military forces raided the camp. He said troops also recovered six automatic rifles.
“Troops overran the encampment with 40 wooden bunkers and recovered four improvised explosive devices, four M-16 assault rifles and two carbine rifles,” he Garcia said.
The raid, he said, was part of an operation aimed at rescuing a soldier - Staff Sergeant Bienvenido Arguilles, of the 25th Infantry Battalion, and a government militia, Job Latiban – who are being held by rebels, but there were no signs of the two prisoners.
Garcia said the two hostages were seized June 19 in the village of Uper Ulip in Compostela Valley’s Monkayo town near the town of Cateel.
The rebels are fighting for decades now for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
Sunday, June 20, 2010
NPA rebels seize soldier, militia in Mindanao
Communist rebels release photos of four prisoners - Army Corporals Marcial Bawagan, Ariel Asumo, Eduardo Alcala and Victor Pitogo - shortly before they are freed in Mindanao. The four were taken prisoners in the town of Mawab on May 12, 2010. DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 20, 2010) – Communist rebels held a government soldier and a militiaman after stopping public vehicles at a checkpoint in the southern Philippines, officials said.
Officials said the two hostages - Staff Sergeant Bienvenido Arguilles, of the 25th Infantry Battalion, and Job Latiban - were seized Saturday in the village of Uper Ulip in Compostela Valley’s Monkayo town.
“The two were just passing by the village when dissident-terrorists collared them,” said Army Captain Emmanuel Garcia, a spokesman for the 10th Infantry Division.
He said some 30 New People’s Army set up the checkpoint and inspected passing vehicles for soldiers. Civilian passengers were also forced to attend a lecture by rebels about their cause and later freed.
Garcia did not give other details about the abduction, but said troops were sent to track down the rebels and rescue the duo.
The latest strike by rebels came days after they freed three soldiers and a government militia after almost a month in captivity in Compostela Valley.
The four - Army Corporals Marcial Bawagan, Ariel Asumo, Eduardo Alcala and Victor Pitogo - were taken prisoners in the town of Mawab on May 12.
Anvil Guinto, a spokesman for the rebel’s Crucifino Uballas command, said the release of the prisoners came after their families appealed to the NPA to free the four men who are being accused of violating human rights of civilians in the province.
“The release is in recognition of the appeals made by the families, religious groups and personalities, well-meaning individuals and progressive groups on their behalf,” he said. ”The NPA accords the released POWs the chance to conduct themselves in a manner respectful of the people's rights and the international laws of war. Their arrest and subsequent detention should also serve as a warning to officers and elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police and their intelligence and paramilitary units.”
On Friday, rebels also attacked a group of policemen and wounding three of them in Davao Oriental’s Cateel town. Security officials said as many as five rebels were either killed or wounded in the fighting after a failed raid on a police station in the town.
The NPA is the military wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines which have been fighting for decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
Friday, June 18, 2010
3 cops wounded in rebel attack in South RP
DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 18, 2010) – Communist rebels attacked a group of policemen Friday and wounding three in the southern Philippines, officials said.
Officials said as many as five New People’s Army rebels were either killed or wounded in the fighting after a failed raid on a police station in Davao Oriental’s Cateel town.
Army Captain Emmanuel Garcia, a spokesman for the 10th Infantry Division, said at least 40 rebels were involved in the fighting.
“The NPAs were seen dragging at least five of their companions who might be dead or wounded as they fled for safety,” he said, adding, security forces recovered one of two trucks the rebels used in escaping.
He said the trucks were earlier stolen by rebels.
The NPA is the military wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines which have been fighting for decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Maoist rebel leader falls in Mindanao
DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 12, 2010) – A senior leader of the communist rebel group New People’s Army was arrested at a military checkpoint in the southern Philippines, security officials announced on Saturday.
Officials said the rebel leader, Mario Cabatlao, is the Secretary of the Local Terrorist Front-15 of the New People’s Army in Mindanao. He was arrested Friday afternoon in the village of Madaum in Tagum City where military and policemen put-up the checkpoint after receiving reports that Cabatlao would pass in the area.
“A fragmentation grenade and an improvised explosive were recovered from Maria Cabatlao,” said Army Captain Emmanuel Garcia, a spokesman for the 10th Infantry Division.
He said Cabatlao is facing multiple murder charges and was linked to many killings in the towns of Baganga, Manay, Caraga and Taragona, all in Davao Oriental province where rebel forces staged attacks against government troops and civilians in recent years.
Major General Carlos Holganza, commander of the 10th Infantry Division, praised the arrest of the rebel leader and vowed to continue government operations aimed at defeating communist insurgency in Mindanao.
“We take pride in the efforts and patience of our soldiers and policemen who painstakingly took it upon themselves that justice for our people will be served. May this bring warning to all criminals, murderers, kidnappers and bandits like the New People’s Army that the long arm of the law will eventually catch-up with you and your crimes will not go unpunished,” Holganza said.
Cabatlao is the third rebel leader captured by authorities since early this year in Mindanao.
Rebel commander Zaldy Canete, who was recruited at the age of 13 to become a senior New People’s Army leader, had been captured in January in Davao del Norte province.
Another rebel leader, Renelo Creita, who was tagged by the military as behind ambush of soldiers and civilians in Compostela Valley province last month, also fell in the hands of the military and police last month. Both Canete and Creita are also facing multiple murder charges in connection with the rebel attacks in the provinces.
The New People’s Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, is fighting for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (Geo Solmerano contributed to this report)
Thursday, June 10, 2010
NPA orders release of captured soldiers, militia in Southern Philippines
DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 10, 2010) – The New People’s Army ordered rebel forces on Thursday to free three government soldiers and a militiaman captured in the southern Philippines.
Communist rebels are holding Army Corporals Marcial Bawagan, Ariel Asumo, Eduardo Alcala and Victor Pitogo, a government militia. They were taken prisoners in the town of Mawab in Compostela Valley on May 12 and being investigated on charges of human rights violations and counter-revolutionary campaign in the province.
The release of the prisoners came after their families appealed to the NPA to free the four men who are being accused of violating human rights of civilians in the province.
Rigoberto Sanchez, a spokesman for the NPA’s Merardo Arce Command, said there is a probable cause to hold the prisoners longer, but the rebel group has considered the appeals made their families for the safe release of the soldiers and militiaman.
“However, in consideration of the humanitarian appeals for their release, the MAC-NPA has ordered the NPA custodial unit to release Prisoners of War Corporal Marcial B. Bawagan (SN#794130), Corporal Ariel P. Asumo (SN#803445), Corporal Eduardo Alcala (SN#806489) and Civilian Active Auxiliary (member) Victor Pitogo (SN#006279) subject to the actual military situation on the ground,” Sanchez said.
Government troops mounted fresh operations to rescue the hostages, but it was unknown whether the military would order a halt in the efforts to recover the four men.
The NPA earlier warned troops to stay away from near their stronghold as not to endanger the lives of the prisoners.
“This utmost concern is currently being considered by the NPA so as to ensure the safe and orderly undertaking of the release. Major General Carlos Holganza must come to his senses, and face the fact that 10th Infantry Division operations have failed and order a suspension of military operations in the areas of Pantukan, Mabini, Maco and Mawab,” Sanchez said, referring to the towns where military operations are going on.
He said: “As it is now, only the 10th Infantry Division's continuing, but failed military operation, stands in the way of the fulfillment of the NPA's humanitarian act that will effect the return of the prisoners of war to their families.”
The rebels are fighting the past four decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
Rebels abduct, execute 2 in South RP
DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 10, 2010) – Maoist rebels abducted and killed two people in separate attacks in the southern Philippines where troops are fighting to end communist insurgency in the restive region, the military said on Thursday.
It said New People’s Army rebels seized Alfredo Mia in Davao City’s Paquibato District and that his body was found later on Tuesday in the village of Fatima.
Army Captain Emmanuel Garcia, a spokesman for the 10th Infantry Division, said the 57-year old Mia was an NPA member who was executed by his own group for a still unknown reason.
“The NPA is notoriously known for murdering former rebels or those who surrendered to the government and others who go against or question the undemocratic or criminal policies of the underground Communist Party of the Philippines,” he said.
Garcia blamed NPA leader Leoncio Pitao to the killing of Mia.
He said rebels also abducted on Tuesday a village leader, Kito Melody, in Sultan Kudarat’s Columbio town. Melody’s corpse was peppered with bullets and recovered by soldiers in the village of Maligaya later in the day.
Melody’s companion, Eldie Banawag, a government militia, managed to escape and reported the attack to the military. Banawag told the military that rebels barged in the house of Melody and seized the village leader at gunpoint.
There was no immediate statement from the NPA about the military reports.
The army spokesman said that in 2009 alone, the NPA murdered at least 83 people in Southern Mindanao and that 52 of those mercilessly killed were innocent civilians.
The NPA is fighting the past four decades for the establishment of a communist state in the country. Peace talks with Manila collapsed in 2004 after rebel leaders accused President Gloria Arroyo of reneging on several agreements, among them was the unconditional release of political prisoners languishing in jails without formal criminal charges. (Mindanao Examiner)