Negros villages seek Army help vs 'communist resurgence'
DUMAGUETE CITY -- Villagers in the hinterlands of Sta. Catalina town in Negros Oriental, some 85 kilometers south of this city, want Army detachments to be set up in their area due to the continued presence of the New People's Army (NPA).
Sta. Catalina Mayor Leon Lopez said mountain residents had been asking him to facilitate the establishment of Army detachments in their villages "because they want to have a peaceful life."
Lopez said the residents requesting for military detachments are from Sitios Payaopayaoan and Lag-asan of Barangay Nagbinlod, Sitio Cadlong of Barangay Nagbalaye, and Sitios Banlas and Kalubasahan of Barangay Milagrosa.
Lopez said the residents had not submitted a formal written request but representatives of the communities approached him recently on different occasions to discuss the matter.
He said the villagers, most of whom are farmers, no longer want to be disturbed as they go about making a living.
He said they were concerned about getting caught in the crossfire because the continued sighting of rebels in their communities would eventually invite the presence of soldiers and result in clashes.
A barangay (village) official in one of the hinterland villages of Sta. Catalina, who requested anonymity to avoid antagonizing the NPA, said that his constituents had been requesting for an army detachment.
He said residents of a remote sitio in his barangay would leave their houses in the evening because of fear that they might get caught in the crossfire should government troops and the NPAs chance upon each other.
Lopez said he already informed Governor George P. Arnaiz about the villagers' request and he was optimistic the provincial executive would help them bring the matter to the attention of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Sta. Catalina was a hotbed of communist insurgency in the mid 1980's up to early 90's. Their presence reduced considerably when the provincial government began implementing livelihood projects in areas previously controlled by the insurgents in 1991.
But government authorities here noted a resurgence of rebel presence in the town's mountain villages in the past two years, as shown by the increasing number of clashes between government forces and the NPA, or between the NPA and its rival faction, the Revolutionary Proletariat Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade.
Governor Arnaiz, quoting reports from the intelligence community here, said many of the NPAs operating in the province were "imported" from Bohol and Leyte.
He said the insurgents were having difficulty rebuilding their lost foothold in Sta. Catalina because the residents were no longer interested in armed revolution.
(PIA)