The leader of the military’s Northern Luzon command on Sunday blamed complacency on the part of Philippine Army troops for the ambush staged by suspected communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels that killed 11 soldiers and two civilians last week.
“Complacency was the culprit there. We were too relaxed and they sneaked up on us,” said Lieutenant General Anthony Alcantara, commander of the Armed Forces Northern Luzon Command, noting that Ifugao was a relatively peaceful province.
“Our people in Ifugao are peace-loving. Those who sneaked up on us were not really from there, but of course, they had local contacts,” Alcantara said in an interview over dzBB radio.
Alcantara said the soldiers had a “false sense of security” that resulted in the bloodshed.
The military said sniper fire killed the driver of a military truck ferrying members of the Army’s 86th Infantry Battalion on Wednesday as it passed through Sitio (sub-village) Buhyo, Tinoc town, between 7 and 8 a.m. on its way back to camp.
The driver lost control of the truck, which fell over a cliff. The surviving soldiers engaged the rebels in battle. The two slain residents may have been caught in the crossfire, the police and military said.
“We know they’re (NPA rebels) a spent force as far as Nolcom is concerned. That’s why there are recruitment activities where they use children. They try to convince them and if they can’t, they coerce them into joining,” Alcantara said.
Alcantara added, however, that the recruitment was “controlled” because “nobody believes them anymore,” not even themselves.
Alcantara said he expected more NPA activities as the midterm elections in 2013 neared. “We know that every election, they get involved, in order to earn a little and extort a little,” he said.
“The AFP will definitely be deputized by the Commission on Elections to see to the peaceful conduct of the elections. By August, we’ll do a thorough coordination for the election. We will prepare accordingly. We have enough forces,” he said.