Brig. Gen. Andrew D. Costelo, Army's 703rd Infantry Brigade commander (Contributed photo)
MANILA – Any reports or claims coming from communist rebels and their allies detailing alleged military atrocities should be taken with a grain of salt as most of them are lies.
This, after Brig. Gen. Andrew D. Costelo, commander of Nueva Ecija-based 703rd Infantry Brigade, denied claims by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) that it had maltreated Aetas suspected of being members of the communist terrorist group during a recent encounter in Barangay Buhawen, San Marcelino town, Zambales.
Communist terrorists earlier accused troopers of the 703rd Infantry Brigade of burning the homes of Aetas suspected of being NPA members and forcing them to eat human waste.
Costelo, in an interview with the radio program “Usapang Pangkapayapan, Usapang Pangkaunlaran Pilipinas” (UP UP Pilipinas) on Wednesday, said such allegations are just smeared tactics and that such accusations are "insulting claims" as all his personnel are composed of professional soldiers and won't stoop down to commit inhuman acts.
He added that operations were conducted in Barangay Buhawen after receiving reports that communist terrorists were on a recruiting spree in the area.
On the second day of their monitoring, he said an encounter between his troops and armed CPP-NPA members erupted, resulting in the capture of five communist terrorists.
Contrary to communist rebel claims of abuse, Costelo said since three of the captured NPAs were a mother and two minors, they were all immediately turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development after medical examination.
He added that residents who fled from their homes during the clash have now returned even as 703rd Infantry Brigade units continue to sweep the area for the communist terrorists as part of the efforts to restore peace and order in the affected community.
Since the indigenous peoples' community is very vulnerable to the recruitment tactics of the communist terrorist groups, Costelo said the Philippine Army, the National Police, and the whole Armed Forces will do their best to protect them from communist rebel recruitment and atrocities.
Meanwhile, "UP UP Pilipinas" host, Air Force Col. Gerardo M. Zamudio, Jr. urged the public not to believe firsthand these allegations and said that is very insulting for the professional soldiers of the Armed Forces to be accused of such atrocities.
"Don't be deceived by the propaganda of the Left," he said in Filipino.
As this developed, Southern Luzon Command commander, Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade, Jr., who was also interviewed by "UP UP Pilipinas", cautioned listeners from readily believing communist terrorist reports as this was disseminated to discredit the military.
He added the military is a professional organization that upholds the highest standards for its members.
Parlade also appealed to the public to exercise the utmost caution when using social media since it is now being used by enemies of the state, particularly the communist terrorist group, for propaganda.
Meanwhile, Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Undersecretary Lorraine T. Badoy dismissed the report apparently floated by the College Editors’ Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) in an effort to discredit and tarnish the image of the military.
She said such low actions by the communist rebels mean that they are now desperate to get support from the masses which for the CPP-NPA has now at a very low point.
Such actions are meant to shock the public into supporting them again, Badoy said.
She added that ongoing efforts of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF ELCAC) to address the needs of communities being targeted for recruitment by the CPP-NPA has yielded positive results for the Armed Forces' image.
The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
As this developed, Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Region 3 Director William Beltran said the NTF-ELCAC – a multi-agency public service response team – visited Barangay Buhawen to distribute relief goods to displaced local residents, including the Aeta community.
Commenting on the baseless accusations against the 703rd Infantry Brigade, he said the public nowadays is discerning about the news they read online and can easily determine for themselves whether claims such as these are true or just propaganda and lies being peddled by the Left.
"UP UP Pilipinas” is a public affairs program that serves as the PAF’s contribution to the public affairs requirements of NTF ELCAC.
The program is aired during weekdays at 3 p.m. over DWGV AM 792khz- Central Luzon, DWDD 1134 kHz- Manila, and other radio stations throughout the country.
A video recording of the program is uploaded every day to the social media accounts of NTF-ELCAC, PCOO, "UP UP Pilipinas" and on PAF Virtual TV. (PNA)
