By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Philippine Army 303rd Infantry Brigade (303IB) commander, Brigadier General Benedict Arevalo, slammed both Bayan Muna partylist Rep. Carlos Zarate and former Bayan Muna partylist Rep. Neri Colmenares following the rescue of minors who were allegedly recruited by progressive groups in Bacolod City.
The military official revealed Bayan Muna, Gabriela, and Anakpawis, all of which are represented in the House of Representatives, along with Kilusang Mayo Uno, have “a lot of explaining to do.”
“Colmenares, Zarate, and their cohorts should stop lying and playing dumb,” Arevalo stated.
The 303IB chief questioned why minors were taken from their families under the guise of “practicing for a cultural presentation” while they were being “indoctrinated” and trained to become New People’s Army (NPA) insurgents.
“Why is it that Colmenares, Zarate, and their cohorts seem to be the last people in the world who do not know that their organizations are supporting the NPA?” he questioned. “It is either they are lying or hallucinating!”
Arevalo then challenged them to answer the allegations publicly instead of “blabbering their usual ‘red-tagging alibi.’”
He also condemned Colmenares for “trying to make fools out of the people of Negros.”
“He should not insult the intellect of the Negrense,” the military official said. “People like him are the ones encouraging the NPA here to do atrocities and violence against the people and endangering even the members of their organizations, just like what happened to the ‘Sagay 9.’”
Arevalo added, Colmenares should be ashamed of himself as a Negrense and urged residents in the region to be wary of the latter and his organizations.
Earlier, 15 minors were rescued by operatives from the Philippine Army 3rd Infantry Division, Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group after a raid in Bacolod City’s Barangay Bata.
The minors were subsequently turned over to the city’s social welfare and development office with two already reunited with their parents./DGB, WDJ