MANILA – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Saturday announced that New People's Army (NPA) insurgents have added another series of atrocities to their long list of human rights and international humanitarian law violations with the discovery of the remains of five persons whom they have executed last Oct. 30.
"The efforts of the AFP alongside the local police of Santiago led to the successful exhumation of the bodies of said individuals who were earlier abducted and then murdered by the CNTs (Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA Terrorists)," AFP public affairs office chief Col. Jorry Baclor said in a statement.
Two of the recovered remains are Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) members while the other three are civilians, he added.
The AFP earlier condemned the execution of these individuals whose bodies were retrieved in shallow graves on Oct. 30 in Santiago, Agusan Del Norte.
"Continuous pursuit operation is now being conducted to find the main suspect, Myrna Sularte alias 'Iyay/Edang/Maria Malaya', a ranking CNT cadre in Mindanao. The other suspect, Rolando Leyson Jr. alias 'Edroy/Kikoy', was earlier killed in an encounter with government troops on Sept. 14 this year. His body was retrieved by government troops in Jabonga, Agusan del Norte days later," Baclor said.
These latest atrocities add up to the thousands of human rights and international humanitarian law violations committed by the NPA over the years as documented by the AFP and reported to the government and independent human rights bodies.
Earlier, Brig. Gen. Joel Alejandro Nacnac, AFP Center for Law of Armed Conflict (AFPCLOAC) head, submitted a list of thousands of recorded CPP-NPA-National Democratic Front human rights abuses to the Commission on Human Rights.
It included 2,443 cases of abuse and human rights and international humanitarian law violations by the CPP-NPA-NDF from 2010 to the first semester of 2022.
It added that such act of terror that deserves judicial action as it is a crime against humanity that calls for international condemnation.
“The AFP condoles with the families of the CAFGU members and innocent civilians who were summarily executed by the communist NPA terrorists in Northeastern Mindanao. As we condemn this atrocity, we also commit our support to the PNP in the conduct of investigation to identify the perpetrators,” Baclor said.
Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said it has gained another breakthrough accomplishment in its relentless efforts to track down NPA personalities during a three-month operation beginning from Aug. 3 to Nov. 3 of this year.
Around 103 NPA personalities were arrested, PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. confirmed Saturday.
Result of the operations from Aug. 3 to Nov. 3 of this year has recorded a total of 103 NPA members who have been arrested.
Based on the data, Police Region Office (PRO) 11 has the greatest number of arrested NPAs with 39 personalities, followed by PRO 13 with 20, PRO 8 and PRO 10 with nine NPA members each, PRO 6 with seven, PRO 2 with six, PRO 1 with four, two in PRO 3, PRO 12, and NCRPO, and one each in PRO 4-B, PRO 5, and PRO Cordillera.
"This will be a stern warning to all the leaders and members of terrorists’ group who are still at large, the PNP will not stop to hunt all of you down and give justice to all your victims", Azurin said. (with reports from Lloyd Caliwan/PNA)
