The New People’s Army (NPA) Apolinario Gatmaitan Command in Negros called the P87 million being proposed by the Negros Occidental provincial government for an “anti-insurgency fund” would be “a waste of time and money.” NPA-Negros spokesperson Ka Juanito Magbanua said the funding, which is subject to approval by the Provincial Peace and Order Council, will not solve the root problems of poverty, unemployment, rising cost of primary commodities, and low salaries.
Magbanua claimed the fund is a method for government, police, and military officials to steal, noting, the P33.5 million allocated by the Office of the Governor has no clear plan on where it would be spent. Additionally, he also criticized the P41.1 million intelligence fund, which he claimed did not undergo a proper auditing process.
The NPA official said, “[The] ‘counter-insurgency’ program is only being used to ‘militarize’ services of local government units.”
He went on to say the funding is being weaponized to destroy their revolutionary movement, which he claims will sow more fear among the public and result in more human rights abuses.
Meanwhile, Magbanua reminded government officials of their oath to serve the population and advised them not to be “used” by either the Armed Forces of the Philippines or the Philippine National Police.
Recently, law enforcement officials nabbed a “high-ranking” NPA official on Saturday after serving two arrest warrants in Barangay Zone 1, located in Tubungan, Iloilo. According to Tubungan Municipal Police Station chief, Police Lt. Colonel Jose Romel Samson, 49-year-old Moncino ‘Ka Dana’ Tacaisan of the town’s Barangay Igtuble faces charges related to a 2017 murder case, along with acts of lasciviousness.
Earlier this month, a police officer was left dead following an encounter between the Philippine National Police and the NPA in Barangay Aglobong in Janiuay, Iloilo.
In addition, two suspected NPA insurgents were arrested in Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental after being served a warrant for the crime of rebellion./WDJ