Communist rebels extorted P26M during election period—AFP
By Frances Mangosing
The New People’s Army were able to extort as much as P26 million nationwide during the election period, the military claimed.
The New People’s Army were able to extort as much as P26 million nationwide during the election period, the military claimed.
The military recently arrested a ranking commander of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Samar while allegedly waiting for the turnover of the permit-to-campaign (PTC) and permit-to-win (PTW) fees collected from candidates in the province, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Friday.
The lack of a ceasefire agreement between the government and communist rebels was the main stumbling block to the peace negotiations, said Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, who chairs the government panel in the talks with Moro rebels.
Malacañang shrugged. “It’s nothing new,” said Palace spokesperson Edwin Lacierda on Saturday when asked to comment on threats made by the communist rebels to intensify their attacks after the government announced that it would no longer pursue peace talks.
Communist rebels launched near simultaneous attacks against government troops in several towns in Compostela Valley on Monday, police and army officials said.
A militiaman was killed while three soldiers were wounded in an encounter between government troops and communist rebels in Misamis Oriental Wednesday.
After saying last year that forging a peace deal with the communist rebels appeared to be difficult, President Benigno Aquino III on Saturday “spoke about his resolve” to resume the talks, according to deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte.
Communist leaders have declared a four-day ceasefire starting Tuesday in Davao del Norte towns and part of Compostela Valley for the safe release of a soldier and a policeman they have been holding in captivity since last month.
Suspected communist rebels raided three residences in Misamis Oriental Tuesday morning and carted away military gears, the military said.
Three suspected New People’s Army rebels, including a minor, were captured by a combined team of Army soldiers and local police in Mulanay, Quezon shortly before midnight Friday, a regional military spokesman said.
A camp of the communist New People’s Army in Samar was seized Monday by government forces, the military said.
President Aquino on Wednesday admitted that he was “pessimistic” about the prospects for peace with communist rebels even as he claimed that talks with the New People’s Army were “moving forward.”
A Quezon City court has denied the motions of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and two retired generals to have a P15-million damage suit filed against them by members of the “Morong 43” dismissed. The six Morong 43 members claimed they were tortured by the military in 2010.
