Army claims rebels threatened witnesses in case vs militants

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – The Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (ID) reported that the New People’s Army (NPA) has included two minor-witnesses in their alleged “shoot to kill” order, following the qualified human trafficking cases filed against the arrested militant leaders here last year.

The Army, in a press release sent to the media on Saturday, said that a man from La Carlota City in Negros Occidental reported to the police on February 25 that the NPA allegedly approached his wife and informed her that their son was threatened by the Leonardo Panaligan Command (LPC) by informing them that their son was included in the said order.

Two days later, another parent of one of the witnesses also filed the same report before the La Carlota City Police Station, a press release also said.

Captain Cenon Pancito III, spokesperson of Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict – 6 (RTF-ELCAC-6), in a press statement, said that these two witnesses were among the minors who were rescued during the series of raids at the offices of some militant groups here in November 2019.

A criminal complaint was already filed by the Criminal Investigation and Detection (CIDG) – 6 against six leaders of some progressive groups in the province for allegedly recruiting minors to join the armed struggle.

Pancito said that threatening of the witnesses is like admitting the fact that those arrested militants are affiliated with the armed group, and they really are into illegal activities like recruiting and training of minors to become NPA fighters.

“Innocent defendants do not threaten witnesses for they believe in fair judicial proceedings,” Pancito said.

“Now, why threaten the witnesses if you really are innocent? Threatening unarmed and defenseless witnesses is a cowardly act of criminals,” he said, adding that the NPA are resorting to a devious and desperate move to prevent the witnesses from telling the truth.

Pancito called on the Negrenses to defend the truth and stand against the NPA.

“Let us protect the witnesses of the NPA’s terroristic activities. Let us protect our children against these child traffickers,” he said.

He also urged the people to stay vigilant and report their movement and whereabouts to the security forces to prevent them from harassing other witnesses and from casting more terror.

The NPA has yet to comment on the matter.