DESPITE TRUCE: Police, Army condemn NPA attacks

NAGA CITY---The Philippine National Police (PNP) of Camarines Sur and the 9th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army protested in the morning of Dec 26 (CPP’s 51st anniversary) condemning rebel attacks despite of the holiday ceasefire agreement.

Police authorities and the government forces joined by the Camarines Sur Police Provincial Office (CSPPO); Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA); Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP); Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP); barangay law enforcers; youths; and rebel returnees rallied at Plaza Quince Martires in Barangay San Francisco here.

Police Colonel Felix Servita Jr., police city director, told Bicol Mail that the rally was a nationwide indignation protest to condemn New People’s Army (NPA) accused for starting armed encounters with the government forces deployed in the provinces of Iloilo and Camarines Norte recently.

Servita added that the rally also condemned the communist armed wing for detonating improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and planting landmines in addition to ambushes which are considered as betrayal attack.

The police colonel confirmed that the city, especially the upper barangays, remains safe from influence and infiltration of the communist frontliners but he clarified that the rallies launched by the leftist groups in the city is not a problem because of freedom of expression.

Meanwhile, Fidel Agcaoili, chairman of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) negotiating panel, told the media that the NPA just defended their side resulted in an encounter.