DAVAO CITY – An Army ground commander refused to engage Anakpawis Party-list Rep. Ariel Casilao over the affiliation of the organization’s chapter chairperson who surrendered to military troops in Mati, Davao Oriental this week.
Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, commanding officer of the 28th Infantry Battalion, said the affiliation of latest surrenderer, Gemma Quiroga, was not important, but it remains a question why there is a connection between the New People’s Army (NPA) and Anakpawis, as evidenced by letters as tools to collect revolutionary taxes.
Quiroga, who surrendered to the 28th IB, claimed to be the chairperson of Anakpawis Mati City Chapter.
She surrendered to the 28th IB through the help of barangay councilman of Calapagan, Mati on January 27. She told the military she was the chairperson of Anakpawis – Mati Chapter.
Zagala said Quiroga was a medic of the NPA’s Section Committee 18 before she shifted to a front organization.
“To be honest, we did not even know her existence prior to her surrender,” he said. “But we are aware of the front organizations in Davao Oriental.”
“If she is lying, she has no direct link with us. I would just like to emphasize that the only time we met her was when the LGU of Lupon came to request a meeting because there will be someone who will surrender to us,” he added.
Zagala said Quiroga also brought with her several letters reportedly from Anakpawis to be distributed to establishments allegedly as a tool for extortion. Quiroga was also instrumental in bringing people to attend rallies in Davao City.
He, however, stressed that it was unimportant if Quiroga was a chairperson of Anakpawis or not, but rather the link between the NPA and the front organization.
“So her surrender is not that she was a member of Anakpawis but she was a former member of SeCom 18,” he said.
In a report of the 10th ID, Quiroga turned over medical paraphernalia and subversive documents during her surrender.
The 35-year-old Quiroga is from Barangay Calapagan. Quiroga joined the armed group because of her grudge against her family and neighbors.
She is undergoing an interview and custodial debriefing at the headquarters of the 28th IB.
In a statement shared in the Facebook account of Jay Apiag of Karapatan-SMR, Casilao claims that the Anakpawis chair for Davao Oriental is Artemia Olivar and not Quiroga.
He, however, admitted that Quiroga's listed address was Barangay Kalapagan in Lupon and her name was submitted as a poll watcher of Makabayan and a local political party.
Casilao added that Quiroga illegally identified herself as a representative of Anakpawis Party-list and the Alyansa sa Maguuma sa Sidlakang Dabaw-KMP in the 2016 national elections to solicit funds from local politicians and businessmen.
“Clearly with the facts mentioned, she needed to invent issues and allowed herself to be used to suffice the red tagging intentions and motives of her military handlers,” the lawmaker said. (Rhoda Grace Saron/PNA)
