MANILA, Philippines - The New People's Army (NPA) has killed 16 civilians in Bicol since January, the military claimed today.
Maj. Angelo Guzman, spokesman of the Army's 9th Division, said that the NPA has been involved in 29 cases of extralegal killings in the region. Sixteen of the victims were innocent civilians, he said.
Guzman said that the NPA usually tag the victims as military informants to justify their acts.
The military also accused the rebel group of generating propaganda to blame the killings on the military.
“The CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines) - NPA prints and broadcast visibility approach to extrajudicial killing issues are used as medium in the recruitment of new members and recovery of sympathy,” Guzman said.
“To many peasants, farmers, workers, indigenous people and the poor, extrajudicial killings are almost synonymous to the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) and PNP (Philippine National Police) abuses,” he added,
Maj. Gen. Josue Gaverza, commander of the Army’s 9th division, said the propaganda was intended to “discredit all efforts of the government to win peace.” – Corazon Miller, Trainee
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