The New People’s Army remnants in northern Negros are on a “killing rampage”, terrorizing the populace in the hinterlands of Toboso and Calatrava to discourage them from supporting the military, Lt Col. J-Jay Javines, 79th Infantry Battalion commander, yesterday said.
Javines pointed out that in a span of two weeks, two civilians were killed by suspected NPA rebels in sitios Kamao and Huebesan, all in Brgy. Marcelo, Calatrava, aside from their involvement in separate killings in the Toboso hinterlands in previous months.
The army official said that the group of NPA remnants, led by Arnel Tapang, alias Jong, shifted the recovery of their lost territories in the Toboso and Calatrava areas, after failing to do so in the second and third districts of Negros Occidental, following the neutralization of their local cadres.
Tapang, who is a resident of Toboso, still has cadres in the boundary of Toboso and Calatrava, where they are now mobilizing to regain the support of their former supporters, Javines added.
He said that the civilians killed by the rebels were not military informants.
The primary purpose of these rebel atrocities is aimed at “creating an atmosphere of fear” among the populace, noting that when he called for a meeting with residents in those areas, nobody dared to attend as they fear of their lives.
Javines said that several ranking leaders of the dismantled NPA Northern Negros Front have already been neutralized, after being killed in encounters or captured in gunbattles.
Among those recently killed by rebels were Rodel Nobleza and Renato Estrebello, according to authorities./GB
