ILOILO City – The Philippine Army’s 301st Infantry Brigade (IB) appealed to those seeking elective posts this 2019 midterm elections to reject attempts by New People’s Army (NPA) rebels to extort money from them.
“We are calling on all politicians not to give any amount of money to the rebels. If they receive letters of extortion, they must report to us,” said Colonel Benedict Arevalo of the 301st IB.
There could be a possibility, too, that the extortion letters may come from other groups “taking advantage of the situation,” added Arevalo.
The filing of certificates of candidacy for the midterm elections is from Oct. 11 to 17.
To curb the rebels’ extortion activities, Arevalo said the military is stepping up offensive operations.
The 31st IB official revealed they were deploying more soldiers to the field, especially in areas considered as rebel-infested.
“We are appealing to the communities. Continue giving us information on the presence of armed groups,” said Arevalo.
One recent big accomplishment of the military was the Aug. 15 neutralization of seven rebels in Barangay Atabay, San Jose, Antique, according to the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (3ID).
“The tip-off from the civilian populace resulted to the successful neutralization of these terrorists,” said Major General Dinoh Dolina, 3ID commander.
He dismissed as propaganda the NPA’s claim that what happened in Barangay Atabay was not an encounter but a massacre of seven sleeping people.
That civilians themselves were offering information to the authorities about rebels showed that “people are already fed up with the NPA,” said Dolina.
He urged civilians to resist the NPA’s extortion activities.
“Giving in to their demands means feeding their wants and taking part in their criminal activities,” said Dolina.
According to the police and military, the seven killed rebels were members of the NPA’s taxation group.
“The only way to stop the extortion is by not giving in to their demands. This will make the rebels irrelevant forever,” said Dolina./PN
