AFP confirms NPA hit squad on the loose
A group of trained assassins belonging to the communist-terrorist group, New People's Army (NPA) are reportedly on the loose in Iloilo. Radio reports placed the number at about 17 hitmen tasked to execute pending assassination jobs. The News Today (TNT) in a validation got confirmation of at least 7 who are out to implement a standing hit job "as soon as possible."
Two of these communist-trained attackers are female students enrolled in one university here. An alert has been sounded off to members of the intelligence community with regular monitoring made on the activities and local contacts of these student-suspects. Both are affiliated with the legal front organization of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) -- NPA.
TNT further learned that a shortlist of targets have been released by the Communist hierarchy that primarily included officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Ilonggo businessmen and government officials. No specifics were added however AFP sources told TNT that part of the back-up plan is also to kidnap these targets.
"Those perceived to be enemies of the communist-terrorists are top in the list. Even in attacks made on government camps the priority is to abduct AFP officials in order for them to have bargaining power in the release of the criminal Joma Sison," Captain Lowen Gil Marquez, AFP Civil Relations Group Commanding Officer said.
Sison is the founder of the CPP-NPA and the National Democratic Front and currently detained in Netherlands for criminal cases filed here in the Philippines.
Mayor Jerry Treñas in an interview told City Hall reporters that intelligence reports have indeed reached his office. An order is out to verify the information as corresponding check is made on the identities of the alleged hitmen.
Meanwhile, Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) Director S/Supt. Wesley Barayuga has ordered for the verification and intensified monitoring of the alleged deployment NPA hitmen in Iloilo City.
Barayuga clarified, however, that intelligence information was not the source of the report and that it spread only through a text message that was sent simultaneously to various units of the Philippine National Police.
"Nonetheless, we are preparing and are on alert," he said.
The text message claimed that some 17 NPA Sparrow hitmen were deployed in Iloilo City.
Barayuga said this could be related to the arrest of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison in The Netherlands.
The text message, which also reached the PNP regional headquarters at the Camp Martin Delgado, were already downloaded to their various police units for them to intensify their intelligence gathering.
(With a report from PNA)