Army confirms NPA’s extortion racket
With a month to go before election, the New People’s Army (NPA) has intensified its money-making scheme by milking on local political candidates.
The Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division confirmed this after a local political bet, who requested anonymity for security reason, averred that there are some candidates who have already given in to the permit-to-campaign (PTC) scheme of the NPA.
The said confirmation came in the heels of the revelation of mayorable Joselito Ballaret of San Enrique, Iloilo that he received a letter allegedly coming from the NPA’s Eastern Front Committee (EFC) demanding for a PTC payment.
According to 3ID public information officer 1Lt. Mark Andrew Posadas, the particular politician told them that the NPA on Panay Island demanded that P50,000 for mayoralty/vice mayor bets; P30,000 for strong candidates for Sangguniang Bayan (Councilor); and P20,000 for other candidates for Councilor.
“Candidates who apparently failed to pay were threatened by the NPA with restricted access in remote barangays, destruction of private property or equipment, and physical harm not only to the candidate but to their loved ones, as well,” Posadas said citing as example the burning of a farm tractor of a mayoralty candidate in Lemery town, Iloilo last January 17.
The tractor of mayoralty bet Ligaya Apura was reduced into “skeletal remains” and ashes after it was torched by NPA rebels after she allegedly ignored the rebels’ PTC demand.
Posadas further stated that military intelligence records also revealed that during the 2004 elections, a vice mayoralty candidate was kidnapped by the group of Romulo Gangoso a.k.a. Reagan of the NPA’s former Eastern Front Panay for failure to pay PTC.
The candidate was only released upon payment of the extortion demand fund.
“The PTC was used as ransom in their (NPA’s) desperation to extort funds in exchange for the safe return of the candidate to his family,” Posadas said.
The 3ID spokesman noted that in some areas where the NPA still operates, it is expected that renewed extortion activities will be imposed against companies, businessmen, and private individuals unwilling to cooperate in the payment of NPA extortion money.
However, “rest assured that the AFP will do its duty to safeguard the industries and the people who run them in order to operate their businesses. As expected, the NPA will resort to other means of extortion activities after their Permit-to-Campaign and Permit-to-Win (PTC/PTW) scheme during election time as the primary means to generate funds for the terrorist group, was exposed to the public,” Posadas said.
Indeed, he claimed that the exposure of the PTC/PTW scheme meant a heavy blow to the NPA organization as their primary means of logistical support was drastically limited.
“Candidates are now more aware and are safeguarding themselves against the NPA’s extortion by not entertaining the threats and providing security forces with the necessary information to take preventive action,” he said.
Further, Posadas said that the 3ID is thankful that local candidates are cooperating with security forces to curtail the prevalence of the NPA’s extortion activities in Panay and in Negros.
“We in the military, more than any other institution, endeavors for honest, orderly, peaceful, and credible elections. We will continue to keep a watchful eye so that the NPA will not succeed in disrupting the electoral process,” Posadas vowed.
