By ERWIN ‘AMBO’ DELILAN
IT SEEMS that commies in Negros Island are on a dicey mission anew. The recent assassinations of two village chiefs in Isabela and Calatrava towns in the Occidental portion were believed to be the handiwork of the New People’s Army (NPA). Hence, quite alarming!
The victims were Danilo Dautil, 62, of Barangay Cabcab, Isabela and Benjamin Javoc, 54, of Barangay Lalong, Calatrava. Both were liquidated just two days apart.
Dautil was gunned down by a still unknown assassin on the night of August 24. Two days after, 10 alleged rebels swooped down on the house of Javoc at around 2 a.m. They killed Javoc in front of his wife, other family members and neighbors.
Per police probe, Dautil was executed by Negros rebels due to his alleged active participation in various endeavors of the government’s National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) in central Negros.
The Philippine Army’s 62nd Infantry Battalion’s (62IB) commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel William Pesase Jr., said the “NPA angle” ain’t conclusive yet. However, they’re not discounting such possibility. Thus, they’re conducting a motu proprio investigation on this controversial Dautil’s slay case. Isabela town is within Pesase’s area of responsibility (AOR).
The Army’s 79IB commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel J-jay Javines, meanwhile, said Javoc’s murder was allegedly linked to illegal drugs.
He said the rebels’ group reportedly led by Roger Fabellar alias “Arnel Tapang” or “Jhong” of the defunct Northern Negros Front (NNF) boldly told Javoc’s wife that her husband was into drugs.
What a serious accusation, but remains to be proven yet.
Javines, however, stressed Fabellar, a native of Barangay Bandila in the nearby locality of Toboso, is already a known rebel in northern Negros. At present, Javines bared, Fabellar’s head has a P100,000 bounty.
“But we’re doing everything now to jack it up to half a million pesos,” said Javines.
‘RING A BELL’
The twin murders of Dautil and Javoc also “ring a bell” among the top honchos of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Region 6.
Police Regional Office 6 director, Brigadier General Leo Francisco, directed Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) director, Colonel Leo Pamittan to investigate the cases thoroughly.
Too, the Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade’s commanding officer, General Inocencio Pasaporte, ordered his men to probe the killings.
Well, the killings, victimizing two village chiefs could be isolated in nature. But the fact that the NPA is being suspected to be behind them connotes seriousness. Such could stain Negros’ quest for genuine peace.
‘STUMPING DEVELOPMENT’
Another “stumping development” is the plan of human rights (HR) advocates in Negros to file multiple murder and robbery charges against some of the Army’s officials over the Canlaon encounter.
Led by their legal counsel, Atty. Rey Gorgonio, Negros’ HR advocates claimed that what happened in Sitio Natuling, Barangay Budlasan, Canlaon City, Negros Oriental on July 28, 2022 was a fake encounter.
Rather, the NPA’s Leonardo Panaligan Command (LPC), in a press statement, insisted that it was a plain ambush, killing three “hapless” victims – Cristina Jacolbe, 40; her daughter Everly Kee, an 11th grader student; and gaffer Roldan Montero, 42.
Cristina, former daycare worker, was also found pregnant at the time of her death.
Pesase, however, debunked LPC claims via “dubious” fact-finding investigation and labeled them as “mere propagandas”.
He said they have witnesses in the area who can attest that what happened was a legitimate encounter.
Besides, Pesase revealed, the fatalities were already known NPA organizers in Budlasan and the nearby sitios.
He also vehemently denied LPC’s allegation that his operatives took the victims’ P43,000 cash, among other valuables.
“Not true. Pure lies,” Pesase enunciated, adding, “We can’t and we’ll never do that.”
Recoveries, he said, were immediately turned over to the Canlaon City Police Office (CCPO) for keeps and exhibits later.
But who’s telling the truth?
HI-TECH RECRUITMENT
But what’s bothering now is the Army’s report that the NPA is into hi-tech recruitment scheme via different social media platforms.
Tiktok? Yes!
The NPA, claimed by Negros’ Army execs, is now using Tiktok to entice Negrense youth to join the underground movement.
Too, the commies are so aggressive in penetrating various universities and colleges in Negros to infiltrate young and idealistic students. And believe it or not, they’re even using good-looking comrades for this very mission. What a strategy, indeed!
So, left with no choice, the Army asked school officials to be watchful of their students. (School) campus recruitment, underscored by the Army, ain’t just rampant but alarming, therefore.
To counter these Reds’ newest tack, the Negros Army also invests time on youth leadership training (YLT) in various localities.
YLT, the Army stressed, is aimed at inculcating into the minds of the youth that joining the underground movement won’t bear any good for their future.
Well, it’s sad to note that for almost 52 years now, Negros’ rebellion remains a social ill. What’s wrong?
There must be “something within something” (SWS) that continue to “fuel and oil” rebellion in Negros. Poverty could be still. Hence, not until it’s addressed thoroughly, Reds’ dicey mission will continue, causing fear and havoc in the community.
Cheerless, but real!/PN
