New brigade chief vows to go after rebels’ ‘underground ops’

By: Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – Colonel Inocencio Pasaporte, the new commander of the Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade (IBde) in Negros Occidental, said he will focus on monitoring the “underground” operations of the New People’s Army (NPA) in the province.

Pasaporte on Thursday officially assumed his new post from Brigadier General Benedict Arevalo during the turnover rites led by Brigadier General Eric Vinoya, commander of Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (ID), held at the 303rd IBde headquarters in Camp Nelson Gerona in Murcia town.

Pasaporte said that aside from intensifying their internal security operations against the NPA, they will also double their efforts to reduce the biggest criminal syndicate, which also conduct “underground operations.”

The NPA is not only visible on “above ground” but also moving silently “underground” through their legal fronts and businesses, which support the group’s operations and finances, he said.

“Dugay na nila gina-into ang Negros. May underground threat based man sa ila illegal na trabaho, wherein they can get as much as P20 million annually to support the armed struggle few years ago. We will run after these persons,” he added.

He said he will also run after the support elements of the NPA and not just their armed members. “These underground people are deceiving the people of Negros,” he added.

Through community support programs, we will deny their revolutionary faith and deprive them of the mass base support to end the local conflict in the province, he said.

Pasaporte said he is hoping that the people of Negros will not be fooled again with their schemes.

In his assumption speech, Pasaporte said that assuming the post is a big challenge for him but he pledged to take the responsibility of leading the brigade.

He believed that through the help of the government, various sectors, and the community, the Army can continuously make significant accomplishments to solve the insurgency problem in the province.