ILOILO City – The Police Regional Office 6 (PR0-6) is bracing for possible attacks of the New People’s Army (NPA), armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), in retaliation for the deaths and arrests of their alleged comrades during the Dec. 30, 2020 synchronized police and military operations in Tapaz, Capiz and Calinog, Iloilo.
“The NPAs will not let it pass,” Brigadier General Rolando Miranda, PRO-6 director, said yesterday.
Citing intelligence reports, Miranda revealed plots of the NPA’s Kilusang Rehiyon-Panay to assassinate government security officials and mount atrocities targeting police stations and vital installations.
To preempt the NPA’s plans, Miranda ordered all police units across Western Visayas to increase vigilance.
“It’s the CPP-NPA who is actually spreading the culture of violence,” Miranda said.
CPP information officer Marco Valbuena earlier wrote in a tweet that CPP chairperson Jose Maria Sison has a standing order to the NPA to form a partisan team called Special Partisan Units (SPARU) to retaliate against the alleged crime committed by the authorities against the people.
According to Miranda, SPARUs target government troops, informants, indigenous peoples, and unarmed civilians.
“SPARU is responsible for the loss of many lives,” the region’s top cop said.
He urged the public to notify authorities of the presence of suspicious persons roaming near police stations and camps.
“We should protect each other. Hindi po kami ang kalaban ninyo dito…ang mga rebelde po,” he added.
For her part, Lieutenant Colonel Joem Malong, PRO-6 spokesperson, encouraged everyone to report individuals asking about personal details or activities of police officers.
Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) called NPA’s plans to deploy partisan units in urban areas a “desperate attempt” to prove that the communist rebels are still a force to reckon with.
The NPA’s alleged assassination plot surfaced almost a week after the Tapaz and Calinog raids.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Gervacio Balmaceda, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Region 6 which staged the raids, maintained that the coordinated operations were conducted after a thorough intelligence investigation, involving 28 search warrants “based on information from civilians about the presence of personalities with high-powered firearms and explosives.”
He also insisted that the tumandok who died were rebels.
Police Colonel Ross Alvarado, PRO-6 deputy director for operations, presented the names of the slain suspected rebels and their roles in the underground movement. They were the following:
* Roy Giganto alias “Allan” – village chief of Lahug, Tapaz, Capiz; secretary of the section party committee of the CPP responsible in the recruitment into the NPA of peasants in Barangay Lahug and peripheral barangays. In the 1990s he was an NPA platoon leader and participated in various ambushes against government forces, particularly in Tapaz. He was also involved in the ambush of the Re-engineered Special Operations team, which killed at least five soldiers.
* Reynaldo Katipunan – village councilman of Barangay Lahug; intelligence officer of the NPA in their barangay and had direct contact with key leaders of the NPA, Igabon platoon, Central Front Committee and was active in organizing the NPA’s Milisya ng Bayan with Roy Giganto
* Mario Aguerre – village councilman of Barangay Lahug; member of CPP-NPA in charge of food supplies. He had direct access to the CPP-NPA in Tapaz and Calinog towns.
* Rolando Caspillo Sr. from Barangay Tacayan, Tapaz – a trusted operator of the CPP-NPA underground organization and in armed operations in their barangay; intelligence officer providing information to the CPP-NPA
* Maurito Diaz Sr. of Barangay Tacayan – in charge of foods and logistics; his house was used as bahay bagsakan of rebels’ supplies and personal mobilization
* Eliseo Gayas Jr. of Barangay Aglinap, Tapaz – one of the leaders of the CPP in their barangay; in charge in gathering food, ammunition, firearms, and medical requirements of rebels. His house was also a bagsakan of rebels’ explosives and firearms
* Artilito Katipunan of Barangay Acuña, Tapaz – local leader of the CPP who actively organized NPA unit, Milisya ng Bayan and provided support to various armed atrocities
* Jomar Vidal of Barangay Daan Sur, Tapaz – recruiter; also served as intelligence officer of the rebels in their barangays where he monitored government troops’ movements
* Garson Catamin – village chief of Barangay Nayawan, Tapaz – part of the CPP-NPA armed support network; a facilitator of the rebels’ supplies, ammunition, explosives, components and among other NPA war supplies./PN
