New People’s Army guerillas stand in formation during the turn-over ceremony of captured government soldiers to officials and peace advocates in the hinterlands of Matanao town, Davao del Sur in southern island of Mindanao in a file photo published on April 19, 2017. AFP PHOTO / MANMAN DEJETO
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Friday denied issuing a statement that the military offered a P100,000 bounty for each New People’s Army (NPA) captured, dead or alive.
“There was no such announcement made by the AFP on the reported 100 thousand pesos reward money for every member of terrorist NPA. Just as there is no existing AFP policy governing such rewards, the AFP denies allocating such amount for such purpose,” AFP public affairs chief Col. Edgard Arevalo said in a statement.
He said that the reported award that was attributed to the AFP was possibly the bounty put up by local government of Negros Occidental for any information that will lead to the neutralization of terrorists, members of illegal drugs syndicates and other organized crime groups like the NPA.
“… That the recourse taken by the local government and their partner-stakeholders may help boost the AFP’s fight to counter these terrorists and syndicated criminals is only incidental,” Arevalo said.
He said that instances in the past, such as the recent ones in Bohol, Cebu and Palawan, showed that active involvement of local government and stakeholders can help prevent attempts to disrupt peace in localities.
Progressive lawmakers have already reacted on the supposed bounty, saying that it might result to increased human-rights violations and could only be used as a money-making scheme. JPV