(Google map of Cortes, Surigao del Sur)
BUTUAN CITY – Criminal charges have been filed against communist rebels involved in the road blocking and ransacking of houses in the town of Cortes on February 10, the Surigao del Sur Police Provincial Office (SDSPPO) disclosed Thursday.
In an interview, SDSPPO Director Col. Joseph Boquiren said at least 24 New People’s Army (NPA) insurgents were included in the criminal charges.
“Charges of robbery in band and violation to the provisions of Republic Act No. 9851, otherwise known as Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes against Humanity were filed last February 14 at the provincial prosecutor's office in Surigao del Sur,” Boquiren said.
The rebels accused in the criminal complaint included Joel Mahinay, alias “Nico” of the Guerrilla Front 30, North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee of the NPA, he added.
The group of NPA guerrillas blockaded a portion of the national highway in Sitio Lubcon, Barangay Mabahin, Cortes town last February 10, instilling fear among residents in the area.
The rebels also flagged down and threatened motorists and ransacked houses in the sitio, including the residence of a retired Army officer.
“The successful filing of criminal charges against the NPA rebels is in line with the intensified campaign of SDSPPO to fight all forms of criminality,” Boquiren said.
The success of the filing of criminal charges, he added, is also attributed to the support and cooperation of the residents in the area who were greatly affected by the harassment made by the NPA rebels during the incident.
The Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
The National Democratic Front has been formally designated as a terrorist organization by the Anti-Terrorism Council on June 23, 2021, citing it as “an integral and inseparable part” of the CPP-NPA created in April 1973. (PNA)
