Troops exhume NPA mass purge victim

GOVERNMENT forces exhumed the skeletal remains of a New People’s Army (NPA) rebel believed to be a victim of a mass purge implemented by the Communist Party of the Philippines within the rebels’ rank several years back.

Major Angelo Guzman, Ninth Infantry Division spokesman, on Thursday, said that combined elements of the 49th Infantry Battalion and the local police recovered the remains of Juanito Hirang in Sitio Santol, Barangay Old Camp in Capalonga, Camarines Norte.

Lt. Col. Micheael Buhat, Ninth Infantry Battalion commander, said that the information was tipped off to them by the victim’s former comrade, who was then with the underground movement when Hirang was executed on July 9, 2004.

“It has been bothering his conscience for years that is why he reported it to the Army in order for the victim to have a decent burial,” Buhat said.

Hirang’s skeletal remains was turned over to his family in the municipality of Jose Panganiban.

Last year, some 30 skeletal remains of people also believed to be victims of the communist’s mass purging were also unearthed from a common grave in Bondoc Peninsula of Quezon province.

In 2006, dozens of bodies, also believed to be that of the Maoist rebels, were also exhumed in Inopacan, Leyte province.

The purging operations was reportedly implemented by the communist party starting in the mid 1980s through the so-called Plan Missing Link, which was meant to cleanse the underground movement of alleged military spies, or deep penetration agents.

In Mindanao, the rebels called the purging as operation zombie. A rebel caught spying, or suspected as an undercover agent is considered a zombie, or a walking dead.

Reports said that before a zombie was executed, he or she underwent first a mock trial. If the evidence was weak, he or she was detained and tortured to squeeze out information that would later be used as basis for his or her execution.

The purging took the lives of hundreds of suspected spies, which later caused a schism in the movement that also led to the murder of some communist leaders.

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William B. Depasupil | The Manila Times | February 21, 2013 | Article Link

Army capture NPA camp in Camarines Norte

MANILA, Philippines - Two soldiers were hurt in a clash in Labo, Camarines Norte last Sunday that led to the capture of a New People’s Army (NPA) camp.

Lt. Col. Michael Buhat, commander of the Philippine Army's 49th battalion, said his troops were conducting security patrol at about 3:15 p.m. when they discovered a structure that turned out to be a rebel camp.

A firefight ensued, resulting in the wounding of two soldiers identified as Privates First Class Dexter Debil and Donhel Catangay.

The NPA members then retreated, enabling the soldiers to seize the camp. Buhat described the camp as “fortified with bunkers” and “equipped with huts and bleachers.”
“Bloodstains are all over the camp,” he added.

Col. Richard Lagrana, chief of the Army’s 902nd brigade, said the camp could have been a good staging point to attack soldiers in the area. He said he has directed the conduct of pursuit operations against the rebels.

Meanwhile, security forces have discovered an NPA logistics cache in Remedios T. Romualdez, Agusan del Norte last Sunday.

First Lieutenant Joe Martinez, chief of the 42nd civil-military operations company, said the cache was found by elite forces in Sitio Bato-Batohan in Barangay San Antonio.

Recovered from the area were three anti-personnel and anti-tank landmines,  a container with 20 Liters of gasoline, two rolls of detonating cord and subversive documents.
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Alexis Romero | The Philippine Star | February 11, 2013 | Article Link

Camarines clash prompts call for ceasefire

MANILA (Updated 4:08 p.m.) -- A lawmaker renewed a call for ceasefire between the military and communist rebels after reports that two children were killed in a clash in Camarines Norte over the weekend.

"How many more have to lose their lives before we realize that nothing good comes from this conflict? Let's end this now for the sake of our children," Senator Francis Pangilinan, chairman of the Senate committee on social justice, said in Filipino Monday.

Peace talks between the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) and the government have been on hold over a dispute on an agreement giving CPP-NPA-NDF consultants immunity from arrest. The NDF said the government has arrested members covered by the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (Jasig) anyway.

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process said the government "cannot blindly extend Jasig coverage to just anyone that the NDF alleges is covered, especially since the NDF has consistently claimed highly placed captured party members to be covered by aliases in its Jasig list, without offering any proof."

According to reports, two children of suspected members of the NPA were killed alongside their father in Labo, Camarines Norte this weekend. Another daughter was reportedly hit in the leg during the firefight.

The NPA opened fire at soldiers sent to Labo to check reports that there were rebels there.

"Four decades of fighting is too long. Let us not allow our children to be further victimized by the atrocities of war. We refuse to accept war and escalating violence as a fact of life. It should not be," Pangilinan said.

Jonathan de Santos/Sunnex

Monday, February 27, 2012

SunStar.Com.Ph

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2 rebel leaders, 2 rebel's kids killed in NPA clash with troops in CamNorte

MANILA, Philippines -- Four people, including two children, were killed in a clash between government troops and New People's Army (NPA) rebels in the hinterlands of Camarines Norte Saturday, the military reported.

Among the dead were a ranking NPA leader and two of the rebels' alleged children who were caught in the crossfire, Lt. Col. Epimaco Macalisang, commanding officer of the 49th Infantry Battalion said.

The clash started after soldiers received a report that the rebels were asking for money and food in Barangay Malaya, Labo town. The clash broke when the rebels fired at approaching soldiers at about 1 p.m.

NPA members fled after 10 minutes, leaving behind two of their dead. The two fatalities were identified as Rafael Llanto alias Gopi, the second highest leader of the NPA in the region, and Benjamin Manzera, 54.

After scouring the area, troops also discovered the bodies of young boys identified as Michael Manzera, 10, and his brother Richard, 7. Both are children of slain rebel Manzera.

Major General Josue Gaverza, the Commander of the 9th Infantry Division, has condoled with the grieving relatives of the crossfire victims.

"I have offered the Army's assistance to the bereaved family members of the slain civilians. I am equally saddened by this unfortunate incident wherein these innocent children were caught in the crossfire. I have requested the PNP authorities in Camarines Norte to conduct a thorough investigation regarding this encounter," said Gaverza.

The soldiers also confiscated two highpowered rifles, including a caliber 5.56mm M4 Commando and a US caliber 7.62mm M14.
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26-Feb-12, 8:07 AM | Abigail Kwok, InterAksyon.com
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2 soldiers hurt in Camarines Norte ambush

NAGA CITY, Philippine — Two soldiers were wounded when suspected communist rebels attacked a  Philippine Army team in Barangay (village) Daguit in Labo, Camarines Norte, about 30 km from the capital town Daet, early Thursday, an Army official said.

Major Angelo Guzman, spokesman of the 9th Infantry Division based in Camp Elias Angeles in Pili, Camarines Sur, said the ambush occurred at about 1:15 a.m.

Wounded were Private First Class Alexander Saragosa and Private Arnel Sebua.

The rebels fled right after the attack, Guzman said in a text message to the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Soldiers are pursuing the rebels, he said.

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By Jonas Cabiles Soltes
Inquirer Southern Luzon

1:31 pm | Thursday, February 9th, 2012

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