Army foils NPA planned attack

BACOLOD CITY — The Philippine Army believed to have foiled the conduct of tactical offensives by the New People’s Army, following the seizure on December 5 of the latter’s large encampment at Barangay Buenavista in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental.

Colonel Eliezer Losanes, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, yesterday said his forces have anticipated that the NPA has been plotting offensives. “That is why it is imperative to conduct intensive combat operations to deter their (NPA) terroristic attack,” he said.

The newly abandoned camp is capable of accommodating 100 persons for training, staging, and planning for terroristic attacks, he added.

Recovered from the NPA camp were valuable belongings including assorted medicines, a binocular, night vision goggles, and five pairs of combat boots, among others.

Losanes also claimed that the NPA leaders are having a conflict, as they are blaming each other because of the failed ambush of Cauayan town policemen last month, bombing of heavy equipment in Kabankalan City, and attack against the police station in Hinobaan, all in Negros Occidental.

On the other hand, the National Democratic Front-Negros strongly condemned the ambush and killing of human rights advocates Elisa Badayos and Eleuterio Moises on November 28 at Barangay Nangka in Bayawan City, Negros Oriental. Also injured was CJ Matarlo, a leader of youth group Anak Bayan in Cebu.

What made the killings “revolting” was that “Badayos and her team were attacked, while in the process of concluding a three-day fact-finding mission to probe on the struggle for land of poverty-stricken peasants in Negros Oriental,” according to NDF-Negros spokesperson Frank Fernandez in a statement issued to the Negros media.

Fernandez also implicated the 303rd IBde in Negros to the killing of Badayos and Moises.