Reds to cancel unilateral ceasefire

By LITO RULONA,
Correspondent

MAOIST rebels have threatened to cancel the unilateral ceasefire with government forces due to the continuous launching of its counter-insurgency campaign Oplan Bayanihan against the revolutionary movement in all regions in the country including northern Mindanao.

In a press statement, Ka Allan Juanito, spokesperson of the New People’s Army-North Central Mindanao Region claimed the Army has disrupted their mass bases in 78 villages in 22 towns in four cities of Butuan, Gingoog, Malaybalay, and Valencia, and four provinces of Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Misamis Oriental, and Bukidnon.

Juanito said the Army’s troopers belong to 26th Infantry Battalion, 23rd IB, 58th IB, 8th IB, and the 1st Special Forces Battalion, all units under the 4th Infantry Division and the police forces under the 13th Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB) of the National Police.

According to reports, army and police troopers went to the area and introduced “Operation Tokhang,” medical and dental mission, census, and other activities.

“But indeed the excitement in remote parts of the community, to investigate illegal citizens and looting of houses. Although the allegation that the census is essentially a form of tactical interrogation,” he said.

So the soldiers could stay legally in centers of the village, Juanito claimed the soldiers would pressure the city council to pass a resolution supposedly “for barangays to request” the soldiers to give them protection.

Juanito said their guerrillas reported that one column of 35 soldiers of the 13th RPSB entered in the hinterlands of Barangay Bit-os on Oct. 21 and 22, at 7 am spotted in the remote part of the cemetery in Barangay Bitan-agan.

“On Nov. 16, in Barangay Plaridel in Claveria town, Misamis Oriental, army troopers escorted security guards and reportedly demolished houses of the farmers to cover the expansion of plantations of Del Monte Corporation by Crew Resources Incorporated owned by Evelyn Roa Clavano,” the same report reads.

The NPA-NCMR maintained they have been faithfully executing the ceasefire.

“(We) always support all activities for achieving genuine, just and lasting peace. To this day, there is no violation of the NPA recorded. Even the GRP personnel among the NDFP Consultants conducting peace forum were impressed by the honesty of the NPA,” Juanito’s statement reads.