By NITZ ARANCON and
JIGGER J. JERUSALEM
Correspondents
CAMP Alagar yesterday ordered all police units in northern Mindanao to raise the alert level despite the holiday truce between the government and the New People’s Army.
Brig. Gen. Rolando Anduyan, police director for northern Mindanao, directed key police officials in the region not to take chances, be on guard, and ensure that all police stations and outposts in Region 10 are tightly secured.
Anduyan said the preparations should ensure that the National Police facilities would not end up under siege in case communist rebels break the truce.
Lt. Col. Mardy Hortillosa, Camp Alagar spokesman, said Anduyan’s order was based on previous ceasefire declarations that were allegedly not followed by guerrillas.
Hortillosa said President Duterte’s ceasefire declaration means suspension of military operations against rebels but not shifting to a non-defensive mode.
He said the National Police would take a defensive stance during the holiday truce and would not allow rebels to take it as an opportunity to launch attacks.
Maj. Evan Viñas, city police spokesperson, said the PNP has been on full alert status even before the CPP’s anniversary.
On orders of the police regional office, he said they have put up additional checkpoints around the city amid two instances of attacks carried out by Communist rebels in Camarines Norte and Iloilo provinces on Dec. 23.
“We are fortifying our defenses,” Viñas said, referring to their security measures the police have installed during the holidays.
Viñas said the PNP is also holding “camp defense drills” and bomb simulation exercises to test the capabilities of the police in times of attacks.
He added the last quarter of this year is devoted to conducting those activities aimed at determining the level of preparedness of law enforcers and enhancing their response abilities.
Based on the intelligence report they have received on the ground, Viñas said there has not been any sighting of communist insurgents in the city’s hinterland villages, although he added the police are not taking any chances.
“We have been coordinating with the Phil. Army, especially the Task Force Oro and the Army detachments in the rural barangays,” he added.
Meanwhile, 4th Infantry Division commander Maj. Gen. Franco Nemesio Gacal cautioned journalists against covering activities of the NPA which celebrated the 51st anniversary of Communist Party of the Philippines on Thursday.
Gacal said this despite the separate ceasefire declarations by Malacañang and the National Democratic Front in time for the holidays.
He said law enforcement operations would continue despite Duterte’s ceasefire declarations and the military does not want journalists to get caught in the crossfires.
While journalists covering NPA activities would not be arrested, he said the coverage of rebel activities would be too risky on the part of media workers.
In time for the Communist Party anniversary, police and Army soldiers staged a concert at the Kiosko sa Kagawasan here purposely to counter CPP activities.
Maj. Evan Viñas, city police spokesperson, said the event organized was meant as a response to whatever the CPP planned to do during its founding anniversary.
Viñas said the event was to show to the people that the country’s security forces do not advocate conflict but peace.
“We received reports that (the New People’s Army) had planned an event for the CPP’s anniversary. The concert was our way of countering it,” he said.
The concert here was attended by some indigenous people’s groups from Bukidnon.
The NPA is the armed wing of the CPP.
On Dec. 23, both the government and the NDF declared ceasefires from Dec. 23 to Jan. 7, 2020.
