Director General Oscar Albayalde gives a press briefing on Monday, Oct. 22, 2018. (Photo from a PNP video posted on its Facebook page)
The Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) only want to fake a strong image by launching attacks in some regions, Director General Oscar Albayalde, chief of the Philippine National Police, said on Monday.
Albayalde said this as the police eyes the NPA to be the possible mastermind of the massacre of nine farmers in Sagay City, Negros Occidental.
The NPA was also said to be behind the arson of two heavy equipment units in Negros Oriental, the ambush in Camarines Sur that killed three police officers, and another ambush in Aurora province that killed another police officer.
READ: PNP eyes land dispute, NPA’s hand in farmers’ slay in Negros Occidental
“These are all to show that they are still a force to reckon with. Parang gusto nilang ipalabas na medyo malakas pa sila, pero ang totoo, sila ay mahina na,” he said in a press briefing.
[They want to show that they are still strong, but in reality, they are now weak.]
Albayalde said that the communist rebels would want to counter being tagged as “inconsequential” by the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
“Ito ang gusto nilang i-disprove. Gusto nilang ipakita na hindi sila ganoon,” he said.
[This is what they want to disprove. They want to show that they are not like that.]
Albayalde noted that the attacks show the success of localized peace talks, as some members of the NPA had already surrendered to the government.
He also said that it was not clear whether the attacks were related to the Red October ouster plot against the Duterte administration. /atm