NPA: Military occupied villages, provoked us

By LITO RULONA
Correspondent

THE New People’s Army yesterday accused the military of provoking rebels, claiming that government troops have been occupying villages in Malaybalay City in Bukidnon as early as October 2016.

The NPA issued the statement even as it maintained that soldiers were killed during a legitimate encounter in Kibalabag, Malaybalay last Wednesday.

Alan Juanito, spokesman of the NPA in North Central Mindanao, said slain soldiers Pat Non, Nino Talabor and Christopher Owen Yee had been deeply involved in “psywar” operations of the 8th Infantry Battalion in Kibalabag and Manalog, Malaybalay.

Juanito said the soldiers from the 8th IB started trooping to Barangay Kibalabag in the afternoon of Oct. 26, and then to Manalog in the afternoon of Nov. 24.

“Hangtud karong adlawa, wala gyud sila mopahawa sa maong duha ka baryo,” he said.

Juanito accused soldiers of corrupting villagers by promoting drinking of liquor, gambling, and even showing young people pornography.

He said soldiers manipulated villagers, and even made barangay officials pass a resolution supposedly to ask for military protection against the NPA.

Juanito said the soldiers on motorcycles were stopped by two NPA rebels and a support group in Sitio Kalib at around 5: 20 pm on Feb. 1.

He alleged that the soldiers drew their pistols. “It is not true that they had no guns.”

Juanito said the NPA took the soldiers’ caliber .45 pistols, and denied that rebels took the slain soldiers’ money.

Juanito said the NPA regrets what had happened, and he asked forgiveness from the slain soldiers’ families.

But he alleged that the military, police and militia groups had violated President Duterte’s declared ceasefire.

Duterte lifted the government’s unilateral ceasefire last week after the National Democratic Front terminated its own unilateral ceasefire.