Armed men spotted in Janiuay 'checkpoint'
Civilian tipsters alerted the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on yesterday's sighting of armed men conducting a "checkpoint" in Janiuay, Iloilo.
All in civilian clothing with high-powered firearms, the group of at least eight unidentified men flagged down passing motorists along Barangay Abangay.
Captain Lowen Gil Marquez, AFP's commanding officer of the 3rd Civil Relations Group acknowledged the report. As of press time, Marquez said verification was still underway on the identities of the armed men.
What was certain though, The News Today (TNT) learned, was that the supposed checkpoint was not authorized by the local government unit nor was it sanctioned by local law enforcement agencies.
Police and the intelligence community were on alert yesterday following the start of a three-day transport strike called by provincial jeepney groups.
A rally in front of the Capitol was held by a handful of red-flag bearing militants seeking public support for its denunciation of the Arroyo administration.
The checkpoint area is known to be frequented by communist terrorists New People's Army (NPA) and the remaining force of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army (RPA).
No AFP confirmation was reached as to which group was represented by the armed men responsible for the illegal checkpoint.
Meantime, Captain Marquez said the recent military encounter in a Southern Iloilo town resulted to a massive destabilization of communist party belonging to the Southern Front Committee.
Such, after validation was reached that the lone casualty in the communist side was that of a ranking NPA official.
Captain Marquez the dead terrorist served as the platoon leader and trusted aide of top communist leaders in the area.