TESTIMONY. Loremie Camilan, widow of Staff Sgt. Ken Camilan, who was gunned down by New People’s Army rebels during a reconnaissance operation in Sipalay City, Negros Occidental, in November last year, gives testimony during the press conference of the Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict at the Social Hall of the Provincial Capitol in Bacolod City on Tuesday (Oct. 10, 2023). Atrocities of the CPP-NPA have claimed 38 lives, including civilians and soldiers, in Negros Island since February last year. (PNA photo by Nanette L. Guadalquiver)
BACOLOD CITY – Top government and military officials urged Negrenses to stand together against the atrocities of the Communist Party of the Philippines - New People’s Army (CPP-NPA), which have claimed 38 lives, among them civilians and soldiers, in Negros Island since February last year.
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and Maj. Gen. Marion Sison, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division (3ID), led the call during the press conference of the Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (PTF-ELCAC) at the Social Hall of the Provincial Capitol here Tuesday.
Lacson, who chairs the PTF-ELCAC, called on the stakeholders to “bring an end to violence and conflict and cultivate an environment where dialogue and understanding can overcome hostility.”
“The cycle of violence, the destruction of civilian properties, and the loss of innocent lives only deepen the wounds of our society and hinder the progress we collectively work for,” he added.
Sison said government troops are working hard to protect the people of Negros as the CPP-NPA claimed those atrocities.
“Put yourselves in the shoes of the families of the victims. It is very traumatic, very painful,” he said.
Sison pushed for enhanced local peace engagements among the local chief executives and barangay officials and for strengthened TF-ELCAC as “the most potent instrument to end the insurgency.”
“Not only the military and the Philippine National Police solution is needed to maintain peace and security, but the whole-of-government approach,” he added.
Data from the 3ID showed 11 victims of NPA atrocities in 2022, including former rebels, paramilitary men, barangay officials, and suspected informants.
This year, 27 more were killed, including a policeman, former rebels, paramilitary men, civilians, and several suspected informants.
Widows of a 47th Infantry Battalion soldier and a suspected informant, whose spouses were gunned down by communist rebels, gave testimonies on the grief experienced by their families.
“Every soldier has a family, and when they are compromised in the line of duty, it leaves a part that can never be filled. It is only by striving for peace and cooperation that we can hope to prevent further loss and suffering on all sides, where life is being valued and protected,” said Loremie Camilan, wife of the late Staff Sgt. Ken Camilan.
Rochie Negrido Resotay, wife of farmer Eliseo Resotay, said her two-year-old daughter lost a father because of the violence perpetrated by the NPA.
“They also took his money, which came from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp., that would have been used to buy fertilizer. Stop killing civilians. It is painful to think you took my husband’s life easily,” she said in the Cebuano dialect.
Brig. Gen. Orlando Edralin, commander of the 3rd Infantry Brigade based in Murcia, Negros Occidental, said the communist groups operating in Negros have “shown complete disregard for human life.”
“We have presented evidence and information that clearly highlights the atrocities committed by these terror groups. It is our duty to shed light on these crimes and bring the perpetrators to justice,” he said.
The Army official, however, said the government forces cannot win the battle alone.
“I urge the people of Negros Island to stand united against these communist-terrorist groups. Report any suspicious activities, offer information that could aid our operations, and most importantly, refuse to be intimidated by fear,” he added.
Other officials who attended the press conference were Kabankalan City Mayor Benjie Miranda; Calatrava town Mayor Marilyn Era; Col. Leo Pamittan, director of Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office; Brig. Gen. Joey Escanillas, commander of 302nd Infantry Brigade; Teodora Sumagaysay, provincial director of the Department of the Interior and Local Government; Lemwel Casas, deputy provincial director of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency - Western Visayas; and Vincent Parra, officer-in-charge of the Commission on Human Rights - Negros Occidental. (PNA)
