Insurgency

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang yesterday condemned the burning of 12 passenger buses by suspected communist rebels in Capas, Tarlac last Sunday and vowed to punish those behind the incident.

About 200 suspected communist rebels attacked over the weekend an eight-hectare banana plantation in Surigao del Sur, burning down crops and heavy equipment alike.

MANILA, Philippines – Suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels burned a total of 12 Victory Liner buses and an Isuzu elf truck at the bus company’s motorpool in Barangay Estrada, Capas town in Tarlac Sunday night.

CASTILLA, Sorsogon: Armed Forces Chief of Staff Eduardo Oban identified five areas in the country where New People’s Army rebels have established footholds.

A Philippine Army official yesterday said remnants of the New People’s Army (NPA)” are now merely engaging in banditry” and expressed optimism the communist insurgency “will soon be reduced to insignificance.”

No sub-state, no deal – Ibrahim ZAMBOANGA CITY: THE MORO Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said Monday it will not sign a peace agreement with the Aquino government unless its demand for a sub-state in Mindanao is granted.

MANILA, Philippines – Libyan strongman Moammar Gaddafi was a key financier of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its military wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), according to a US Secretary of State secret cable published by anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks.

Self-exiled communist leader Jose Ma. Sison had lost control and influence over his group’s political arm, the Norwegian government’s peace talks facilitator told American officials in a leaked US cable released by online whistle-blower Wikileaks.

THE communists on Sunday accused the Aquino administration of “scuttling the peace negotiations” by rejecting their offer to hold formal talks in Oslo next month.

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III on Monday challenged the communist rebels to show sincerity in pursuing the peace process after they abducted a mayor and four jail officials in separate incidents in Mindanao.

Suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels attacked a mining site in Bukidnon province, killing three miners and seriously wounding seven others, even as authorities continue to look for one missing worker, a police official said Sunday.

THE government on Thursday questioned the communist rebels’ sincerity after they postponed a meeting on social and economic reforms and demanded the release of more of their detained comrades.

TAGUM CITY, Philippines –Suspected New People’s Army rebels burned equipment of a mining company partly owned by an American miner in Pantukan, Compostela Valley, the military said Monday.

UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) unanimously adopted a resolution against recruitment of child soldiers, pressing nations to halt the abuse of children including rape and attacks on schools. The signatories “call upon member-states concerned to take decisive and immediate action against persistent perpetrators of violations and abuses committed against…

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has formally submitted a report to the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), identifying the communist rebel force that persistently employs children in armed conflict and detailing child soldier recruitment.

Bacolod City, Philippines – Some 30 suspected New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas swooped down on the compound of Philex Mining Co. in Sipalay City, Negros Occidental Wednes­day afternoon, torching a cargo truck and the bunkhouse of the firm’s workers and security guards, authorities said.

MANILA, Philippines – President Aquino witnessed yesterday the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Cordillera rebels. Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos Deles, Cordillera Bodong Administration (CBA) president Marcelina Bahatan and Cordillera People’s Liberation Army (CPLA) chairman Arsenio Humiding signed the peace pact in ceremonies held at Malacañang.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has warned students, especially those in colleges and universities, against joining militant youth organizations, particularly the League of Filipino Students (LFS), which are believed to be breeding grounds of the communist group.

At least 188 criminal activities were blamed to the communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in some provinces in Mindanao region, victimizing civilians and small businesses through massive extortion activities, during the first six months of the year.

MANILA, Philippines –  Five communist rebels were killed last Monday by their comrades in Negros Occidental as the New People’s Army (NPA) steps up its campaign dubbed “Kampanyang Paghilamon” against suspected military spies within its ranks, the Army said yesterday.

The Department of National Defense (DND) yesterday rejected calls by the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) for the Aquino government to free detained communist consultants to show sincerity in the ongoing peace negotiations.

MANILA, Philippines—Communism is not bad—in fact it’s legal, says the man who commands the Armed Forces of the Philippines in its war against the 42-year-old Maoist insurgency.

SENATOR Panfilo Lacson on Monday revived a proposal to create a national ID system, setting the stage for a debate over a measure that had already been rejected by the Supreme Court on constitutional grounds.

DAVAO CITY, Philippines  – New People’s Army rebels ambushed the security guards of a mining firm in Pantukan, Compostela Valley yesterday morning killing one guard while another one is reportedly missing.

At least 62 criminal incidents, mostly extortion activities, were attributed to the communist New People’s Army (NPA) in some pro

This week we read about a confidential administration report, prepared by the National Intelligence Coordination Agency, that warned of a “looming rice crisis” as part of a broader economic debacle caused by rising global food prices. This food price inflation—as my fellow columnist Ric Saludo warns in another broadsheet—is likely to be the real culprit…

Last week former President Gloria Macapagal rroyo—in one of her first TV interviews after leaving the Palace—publicly expressed her doubts that she would get fair treatment from the Aquino administration.

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MANILA, Philippines –  The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) yesterday ordered the New People’s Army (NPA) to con­tinue collecting revolutionary taxes, as it bared plans to increase its ranks to 250,000 in the next five years. 

MANILA, Philippines – Suspected communist rebels torched a container van owned by Dole Philippines after flagging it down in a secluded area in Surigao del Sur on Friday, the military said.