MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte is not discounting the possibility of using emergency powers to quell lawless violence in Negros Island.
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the President was issuing a stern warning to the New People’s Army (NPA) for exploiting the “land unrest” in the island and turning the province into a “quasi-state.”
“The Chief Executive is cautioning the enemies of the state in the island of Negros. He will use his emergency powers under the Constitution to quell lawless violence engulfing the island, as well as to crush all forms of threats aimed to destroy the government,” said Panelo.
The President, he added, would “replicate” to “these murderers” the “atrocious acts done by communist rebels to civilians, barangay officials and law enforcers.”
According to Panelo, the rebels in Negros have gone overboard.
“The land disputes in Negros have escalated to killings among – and between – the claimants. The communist rebels are exploiting the land unrest and turning the province into a quasi-state. They have arbitrarily chosen who will own the lands subject of the controversies,” he said.
Since July 23, 13 people have been killed in different towns and cities of Negros Oriental, including human rights lawyer Anthony Trinidad who was shot by still unidentified motorcycle-riding gunmen.
Panelo also announced yesterday that Duterte increased anew the bounty for the capture “dead or alive” of those who killed four police personnel in Ayungon, Negros Oriental from P3 million to P5 million.
On July 25, Duterte raised the reward for the third time to P3 million. He earlier offered a P1 million reward for the capture of the killers but later increased it to P2 million.
The slain cops were Corporal Relebert Beronio, Patrolman Raffy Callao, Patrolman Ruel Cabellon, and Patrolman Marquino de Leon who were all intelligence personnel from the 704th Mobile Force Company Regional Mobile Force Battalion of the Philippine National Police in Central Visayas.
The four cops were on their way to the detachment at Sitio Nabinca on July 18 when armed men believed to be NPA members (the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines) shot them.
The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (PNA/PN)
