Army: NPAs extort to survive
The Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division is not discounting the possibility that the New People’s Army would hype their existence if only to show that they are still a force to reckon with.
By showing this, the rebels could go into extortion activities in the guise of revolutionary taxes or permit to campaign or win fees.
“But the truth is, they have to do it to survive. There is no support coming from the hierarchy, much more their alleged mass base,” said 3ID public information officer 1Lt. Mark Andrew Posadas.
The said statement was in reference to the recent incident where suspected NPA members burned a farm tractor owned by a mayoralty candidate in the town of Lemery, Iloilo.
The suspects identified themselves as NPA members and believed to be led by Romulo Gangoso alias Raegan of the Komiteng Rehiyon-Panay’s Eastern Front Committee.
But, “Gangoso’s group was once a part of the Komiteng Rehiyon-Panay’s Eastern Front covering eastern Panay, which was dismantled by Government forces in 2008,” Posadas stated.
In essence, Posadas stressed that the Gangoso’s group is no longer considered a front since they are only a seven of them.
Further, “definitely, Gangoso’s group is acting on orders to ensure that their presence is still felt in this area to ease our operations in Southern and Central Panay. This is an isolated incident in the otherwise peaceful island of Panay and your Army will make sure that we bring these criminals to justice.”
To note, the The farm tractor, owned by Ligaya Apura, was reduced into “skeletal remains” and ashes after the torching episode recently.
Some seven armed men arrived at the farm land of the Apuras in Brgy. Pakwan, Lemery and ordered tractor driver Cecilio Parreño to stop the farm vehicle and get his load of rice.
They then told the driver to stay away from the farm tractor.
“Nagpakilala sila nga NPA. Nag pamulong-pulong dayon sila sa amon kag ginsunog ang traktora,” Parreño said.
It was gathered that they threw 3 grenades and an improvised explosive devise on the tractor. However, it failed to burn the farm vehicle.
This prompted the suspects to douse gasoline and set it on fire.
Police investigation revealed that the victims’ refusal to give in to the extortion demand of the NPAs under the Eastern Front Committee led by Romulo Gangoso alias Regan.
Reports claimed that the NPAs demanded P50,000 every cropping to the Apuras.
The mayoralty bet also refused to give in to the demands of the NPAs for permit to campaign and permit to win fees.
