File photo of the rebel hideout discovered by the military in Misamis Oriental along with the seized firearms. (Photo courtesy Eastmincom)
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- The chief of the Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) on Thursday lauded community members for reporting the presence of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) in their areas.
In a statement, Lt. General Felimon Santos Jr. said the civilian tipoffs have preempted rebel attacks and have contributed to many successful operations by the military against the rebels.
"The confidence of the members of the communities to report the presence of the CTGs (Communist Terrorist Group) in their locality was further boosted with the whole community declaring them as persona non grata. We are appreciative of these gestures and ask them to continue to implement it in deeds and spirit," Santos said.
He further directed his units to continuously intensify their security operations to allow the communities to celebrate the holiday season peacefully.
"Let our continuous sacrifice and our relentless operations to deny the terrorists the opportunity to carry out coercion and intimidation to our communities be our gift so that they can peacefully celebrate the holiday season and live peacefully in the next years to come," the Eastmincom commander said.
Eastmincom cited several military operations that became successful because of civilian cooperation.
One was on December 10, in which Eastmincom said local residents bared the hideouts of CPP-NPA rebels in the upland area of Lagonglong town, Misamis Oriental.
The ensuing military operation resulted in the death of an NPA member after a 30-minute encounter.
The Army's 403rd Infantry Brigade said its troops encountered around 15 rebels who fled, leaving a cache of firearms and ammunition as well as other pieces of evidence. (PNA)
