Publish in Manila Bulletin
Davao City – The Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom) of the Armed
Forces of the Philippines refused to back down and heed a call by the
New People’s Army (NPA) for the suspension of military operation (SOMO)
in Bukidnon as a condition for the release of two soldiers the rebels
captured last month.
“There will be no suspension of military operations (SOMO) in
Bukidnon against the CPP/NPA members who were responsible for the
abduction of two soldiers of the 8th Infantry Battalion on August 22, ”
EastMinCom chief information officer Captain Alberto Caber said in a
statement.
Caber underscored that the rebels had already “admitted to the
abduction of PFC Marnel Cinches and PFC Jerrel Yurong who were both
unarmed and in civilian clothes” when forcibly taken “while on their way
to Barangay Buntungon, Impasugong, Bukidnon for a livelihood mission.”
The captors of Cinches and Yurong, through NPA Bukidnon spokesperson
Allan Juanito, had earlier demanded for a SOMO in exchange for the two
soldiers.
Instead, EastMinCom commander Major General Aurelio Baladad directed
the concerned military unit commanders in the area to continue joint
pursuit operations against the NPA members who were involved in the
abduction of Cinches and Yurong.
“These operations contribute to the peace and security of the people and its communities in the region,” Maj. Gen. Baladad said.
Meanwhile, another NPA attack at a rubber plantation in Agusan del
Sur left an undetermined number of fully-grown rubber trees and
thousands of pesos worth of farm equipment destroyed.
A flash report reaching Butuan City yesterday stated that NPA rebels,
with bolos and shovels, arrived at Barangay La Purisima in Prosperidad
town and hacked through 40 hectares planted to fully-grown rubber trees
in a seven-hour rampage through the farm reportedly owned by the Calpit
family. Also destroyed were two farm tractors and a wrecker truck.
Farm workers fled during the incident while two were hogtied but later released unharmed.
Police authorities here are still determining the motive and exact worth of damage of rubber trees and farm equipments.
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