AFP, PNP urge businessmen not to give extortion money to NPA

CAMP BANCASI, Butuan City – Field commanders of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) on Sunday urged the business community, particularly rural business groups and individuals to refrain from giving extortion money to the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

Instead, field unit commanders asked the business community to closely coordinate with the nearest AFP and PNP headquarters or units in their respective area to report alleged forced taxation imposed by the underground movement to put an end to the practice.

“Cutting off the lifeline of the NPA will be a factor in solving the insurgency problem in the countryside,” the field commanders said.

They also urged farmers in the countryside to continue extending vital information on the movements of the communist insurgents so that these will be immediately acted upon by the field units.

“Giving financial aid to the rebels will give them more strength and this must be stopped,” they said.

Combined military and police intelligence sources disclosed that some R1.5-billion extortion money is allegedly collected by the NPA from the agricultural (banana, pineapple), construction and mining companies every year in northeastern, southern and northern Mindanao regions alone.

But the Surigao-Agusan NPA command denied that it received money from the business community.

It was learned that these companies are forced to give in to the alleged extortion money for fear of reprisal or punishment from the NPAs.

Millions of pesos worth of equipment and agricultural plantations were destroyed in 2015 and 2016 alone in Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Compostela Valley and Bukidnon, claimed the field military and police intelligence commanders.