Army warns community vs leftist’s ‘deception scheme’

COLONEL Benedict Arevalo, commanding officer of 303rd Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army based in Murcia, Negros Occidental warned the community to never fall on the “deception scheme” of leftist organizations.

His statement came after former Bayan Muna representative Satur Ocampo, Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Teachers Representative France Castro, and several others were arrested in a police checkpoint over alleged trafficking of minors in Davao del Norte on November 28.

Arevalo said these groups are looking for prospective members that they can use to discredit the government, as their ulterior motive.

Through these members, they can pull off a rally, which they can be used to solicit funds for their activities against the government, he added.

They are targeting youths, indigenous people (IPS), fishermen, farmers, and even teachers to help them in their propaganda, Arevalo said.

“Let’s be wary and conscious,” Arevalo said.

“Let’s not fall victims to the scheme of leftist organizations,” he added.

Meanwhile, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan)–negros secretary general Michael Dela Concepcion, in a press statement, said Ocampo and Castro were part of the 79-member delegation conducting National Solidarity-fact Finding Mission for Salugpongan Ta Tanu Igkanugon Community Learning Center, a school borne out of the Lumad’s unity to defend their ancestral land in Talaingod, Davao del Norte.

The National Solidarity-fact Finding Mission was a response to the Talaingod community, who were under heightening militarization which includes food blockade since November 25, Dela Concepcion said.

It is counter-intuitive that delegates of Solidarity Mission were the one charged when the community itself asked for their assistance, he added.

He said the Duterte regime seemed to have an endless arsenal of dirty tricks which includes the military occupation of communities and schools, killings, threats and harassment of residents, including children, and rights defenders.

“Ocampo, Castro and all 79 individuals should be immediately released from police custody. We are dissuading the authorities in filing fabricated charges against Ocampo and Castro lest they lose face in court and be condemned for yet another form of judicial harassment,” he said.

“We demand that the military pullout from Talaingod and other communities, as their occupation of and operations in these areas further engender worse rights violations,” he added.*