Army on alert for NPA anniversary on March 29

By Ronron
March 24, 2008

The Philippine Army is “on alert for possible attacks” by the New People’s Army (NPA) marking their 39th founding anniversary on March 29, its spokesman said Monday.

Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres, Jr. said the communists have already started to manifest their atrocities the last few days, such as the “murder of a barangay captain in Davao, and a barangay captain and his daughter in Camarines Sur;” and, the attacks on a Goldmine in Compostela Valley, sugar mills in Negros Occidental, and Globe facilities.”

“The military is always committed to prevent such incidents from happening. Troops assigned to field units are advised to be more vigilant as the NPA celebrates its anniversary,” Torres said.

“It can be noted that the rebel group usually celebrates their anniversary by staging terror attacks,” he said, “disrupting communities, and creating violence and terror.”

Acknowledging this, Metro Manila police chief Director Geary Barias said they could not discount also the possibility that communist rebels may extend their activities in the capital.

“But we are prepared for that. So there should be no cause for alarm,” he assured.

Torres appealed to the public to support the military’s efforts to end insurgency, noting the NPA’s efforts to “manipulate the people and blind them with the truth.”

“With the support of the peace-loving Filipino citizens, we shall not allow this rebel group to continue with their inhumane and atrocious activities. We are focused on our mission and that is to defeat communist insurgency,” he said.

The government aims to neutralize the 5,760-strong NPA by 2010 when President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ends her term./DMS