• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Philippine Army is collaborating with five local government units (LGUs) in northern Negros to establish an intelligence network down to the farthest sitios to prevent New People’s Army (NPA) remnants from killing more innocent civilians.
Brig. Gen. Ted Dumosmog, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, said they have coordinated with the mayors and barangays captains of the cities of Cadiz, Sagay and Escalante as well as the municipalities of Calatrava and Toboso.
They are also working with the Philippine National Police for the establishment of an intelligence network, he added.
“Through this, the authorities can immediately react to the presence of rebel remnants and prevent them from staging either liquidation or extortion activities,” Dumosmog said.
Majority of the rebel remnants’ liquidation activities in the past months took place in the hinterlands of Toboso and Calatrava and in the cities of Cadiz and Victorias.
They accused the victims of being military spies.
The NPA remnants want to project that their terror group is still alive, the Army official said.
The Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region has directed the Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental Police Provincial Offices to create their respective investigation teams or task groups to look into the killings.
Dumosmog said the Commission on Human Rights has also started their investigation into the killings of civilians. | GB
