The Philippine National Police and the Philippine Army will file rebellion and child abuse charges against 20 members of the New People’s Army here as a result of the Oct. 6 clash in Caramoran town where three minor children were caught in the crossfire.
PNP provincial director Senior Superintendent Rodegelio Gerero told local media that he has directed the Caramoran police to prepare formal charges for rebellion and violation of Republic Act 7610 for exploitation of minors against one "Ka Benjie," Daniel "Tabs" Frias, and 18 John Does.
In a joint press conference at the Lictin, San Andres headquarters of the 83rd Infantry Battalion, Lt. Col. Romeo Basco said soldiers of the Scout Platoon led by Lt. Jerry Doldol, acting on a tip from a civilian, initiated the encounter with the communist guerillas at a mountainous coconut and abaca farm in barangay Sabloyon at 7:35 A.M.
The soldiers, however, held themselves from spraying the rebels with a heavy volume of fire when they spotted three boys in the line of fire, Basco said. Instead, the soldiers tried to pick up the guerillas who ran for cover in the nearby forested area.
It was only when a soldier ran towards the boys and then herded them to a safe area that the troops pursued the fleeing rebels in a running gunbattle, the Army said. The three boys – Ruel, 19, Romeo, 15, and Willard, 12 – were later turned over to their grandfather Rolando Layva, 68, who was working nearby when the fighting erupted.
Left behind at the nipa hut where the NPA unit was cooking their breakfast were an M-16 rifle, an M-14 rifle, seven long and short magazines for the rifles, 139 rounds of ammunition, two bandoliers, a water canteen and a pot of cooked rice good for 20 persons.
"We value human lives. Ayaw naming masaktan ang mga bata," Lt. Col. Basco remarked, adding the pursuit operation against the fleeing guerillas was joined by two helicopters from the mainland, blocking all possible exit routes out of the area.
Rolando Layva said he and the three boys had been making copra and gathering abaca fiber at the farm from which they earn around P2,000 every month, barely enough to feed four other children left in his care. Their mother, Remedios, is working as a househelp in Manila where the father, William Vargas, is also staying.
Two days earlier, Rolando said, a group of six armed guerillas arrived at about 4 P.M. and asked that they be allowed to rest for a while. They requested that the group be included in the next meal. Rolando agreed, using the rice they had brought. When the rice was consumed, he ordered his two older grandsons to go to the barangay proper and borrow from the store of Johnson Idanan against the proceeds of the copra they would deliver.
In the morning of Oct. 6, Rolando and Willard were left at the farm along with two rebels who were cooking food at a nipa hut where the other guerillas had left their long firearms. He went to an upper portion, hidden from view, to gather bamboo when he heard gunshots. Out of fear, he left the area and walked hurriedly to the barangay.
Unknown to him, the two other boys had come back and were removing coconut husks along with Willard just six meters away from the hut when gunfire erupted. "We dived to the ground among the pile of coconuts and did not move," Ruel said. It was only when a soldier came to them and helped them to reach a safer place when the attacking troops pursued the rebels.
In the wake of the incident, Senior Superintendent Gerero urged citizens not to allow their children or themselves to be utilized by the NPA or to be caught in a crossfire. Major General Romeo Pabustan, commanding general of the 9th Infantry Division, has ordered intensified military operations in Catanduanes in support of peace and development efforts on the island.
Source: Catanduanes Tribune - 17 October 2009
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PNP provincial director Senior Superintendent Rodegelio Gerero told local media that he has directed the Caramoran police to prepare formal charges for rebellion and violation of Republic Act 7610 for exploitation of minors against one "Ka Benjie," Daniel "Tabs" Frias, and 18 John Does.
In a joint press conference at the Lictin, San Andres headquarters of the 83rd Infantry Battalion, Lt. Col. Romeo Basco said soldiers of the Scout Platoon led by Lt. Jerry Doldol, acting on a tip from a civilian, initiated the encounter with the communist guerillas at a mountainous coconut and abaca farm in barangay Sabloyon at 7:35 A.M.
The soldiers, however, held themselves from spraying the rebels with a heavy volume of fire when they spotted three boys in the line of fire, Basco said. Instead, the soldiers tried to pick up the guerillas who ran for cover in the nearby forested area.
It was only when a soldier ran towards the boys and then herded them to a safe area that the troops pursued the fleeing rebels in a running gunbattle, the Army said. The three boys – Ruel, 19, Romeo, 15, and Willard, 12 – were later turned over to their grandfather Rolando Layva, 68, who was working nearby when the fighting erupted.
Left behind at the nipa hut where the NPA unit was cooking their breakfast were an M-16 rifle, an M-14 rifle, seven long and short magazines for the rifles, 139 rounds of ammunition, two bandoliers, a water canteen and a pot of cooked rice good for 20 persons.
"We value human lives. Ayaw naming masaktan ang mga bata," Lt. Col. Basco remarked, adding the pursuit operation against the fleeing guerillas was joined by two helicopters from the mainland, blocking all possible exit routes out of the area.
Rolando Layva said he and the three boys had been making copra and gathering abaca fiber at the farm from which they earn around P2,000 every month, barely enough to feed four other children left in his care. Their mother, Remedios, is working as a househelp in Manila where the father, William Vargas, is also staying.
Two days earlier, Rolando said, a group of six armed guerillas arrived at about 4 P.M. and asked that they be allowed to rest for a while. They requested that the group be included in the next meal. Rolando agreed, using the rice they had brought. When the rice was consumed, he ordered his two older grandsons to go to the barangay proper and borrow from the store of Johnson Idanan against the proceeds of the copra they would deliver.
In the morning of Oct. 6, Rolando and Willard were left at the farm along with two rebels who were cooking food at a nipa hut where the other guerillas had left their long firearms. He went to an upper portion, hidden from view, to gather bamboo when he heard gunshots. Out of fear, he left the area and walked hurriedly to the barangay.
Unknown to him, the two other boys had come back and were removing coconut husks along with Willard just six meters away from the hut when gunfire erupted. "We dived to the ground among the pile of coconuts and did not move," Ruel said. It was only when a soldier came to them and helped them to reach a safer place when the attacking troops pursued the rebels.
In the wake of the incident, Senior Superintendent Gerero urged citizens not to allow their children or themselves to be utilized by the NPA or to be caught in a crossfire. Major General Romeo Pabustan, commanding general of the 9th Infantry Division, has ordered intensified military operations in Catanduanes in support of peace and development efforts on the island.
Source: Catanduanes Tribune - 17 October 2009
RELATED LINKS:
- 3 Minors Nabbed in Bicol Encounter with Rebels - Government troops arrested three minors who were allegedly members of the New People's Army at the height of an encounter.
- Army Troops Dismantle Rebel Camps in Catanduanes - Government troops raided on Thursday a rebel camp in the hinterland village of sitio Tacad, barangay Maysuran in Caramoran town.
- Army: 400 Soldiers Purely for Anti-Rebel Campaign - The Philippine Army has denied reports that its 400-strong contingent in Catanduanes is intended to serve as a security force to safeguard the planned coal mining operation by Monte Oro Resources & Energy, Inc.
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