NPA rebels abduct Cotabato village chief

KIDAPAWAN CITY—Even with the Communist Party of the Philippines’ (CPP) order for its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), to release all of its “prisoners of war,” the group yet again abducted a village chief in North Cotabato province on Sunday.

Supt. Romeo Galgo Jr., provincial police spokesperson, said about 50 heavily armed rebels arrived in the village of Mahungcog at 9 a.m. and ordered all male residents to come out of their houses.

They identified village chief Michael Lingaro and took him as they fled.

As early as Feb. 19, the CPP had ordered the NPA to hasten the release of government forces in its custody in the hope that it would help create a better atmosphere to resume the peace talks with the government.

Since then, only two militiamen—Rene Doller and Carl Mark Nucos—were released in Mati City in Davao Oriental province on March 24.

The NPA has demanded the suspension of military and police operations in areas where the captives were planned to be released. The military rejected the NPA’s demand.

Still in captivity are Pfc. Edwin Salan, who was taken in Alegria town, Surigao del Norte province; Sgt. Solaiman Calucop and Pfc. Samuel Garay, who were nabbed in Columbio town, Sultan Kudarat province; and PO2 Jerome Natividad, who was captured in Talakag town, Bukidnon province.

The latest abduction in Magpet happened two days after the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines ended the fourth round of talks in The Netherlands.

On Jan. 21, while the third round of talks was being held in Rome, a clash between rebels and government forces erupted in Makilala town in North Cotabato. A rebel was killed in what the military claimed was an operation against insurgents who commandeered a truck of the Santos Land Development Corp. in the village of Malisala.

That clash was the start of more armed encounters between government troops and rebels which led to the NPA announcing it was ending its unilateral ceasefire.

In response, President Duterte also terminated the government’s unilateral ceasefire and canceled the talks.

After some back-channeling, the fourth round of talks resumed in The Netherlands last week. —WILLIAMOR MAGBANUA