Davao City – The New People’s Army (NPA) launched anew successive tactical offensives in Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental to afford “revolutionary justice for the victims of military fascism.”
In a statement released Monday, Roel Agustin, spokesperson of the NPA Comval Davao Eastcoast Subregional Command said that they “discharged command-detonated explosives at the 66th Infantry Battalion headquarters in New Bataan, Compostela Valley last October 12.”
“While, another NPA unit ambushed soldiers belonging to the 67th Infantry Battalion in Kasunugan, Brgy. Mahan-ub, Baganga, Davao Oriental,” the NPA said.
In news reports, Civil Military Operations Commander Col. Llewelyn Binasoy said that they could not yet reveal the names of the casualties.
According to the NPA, five soldiers were killed and two M16 armalite rifles were seized by the group in these two ambushes.
A farmer and his son were recently killed by soldiers belonging to the 66th IB last Sunday in Tubod, Manurigao, New Bataan.
Rolando Dagansan, 43 years old, and his son Juda, 15 were on their way home to Taytayan, Barangay Andap, New Bataan from their farm located in Sitio Cabetian, Manurigao when they encountered the troop.
According to the victims’ relative who refused to be named, the bodies and faces of the two were destroyed by the bullets fired at them.
In a text message sent to Davao Today, AFP spokesman Ernest Carolina said that “the incident looks accidental in nature by the way it is described, transpiring in pitch black darkness during a security patrol.”
But Agustin maintained that “they were killed by a ruthless Army unit who concealed its fascist operations by using as pretext a purported medical mission in Manurigao.”
“Thus, it is only fitting that the tactical offensives launched by the New People’s Army Comval Davao Eastcoast Subregional Command on that same day is revolutionary justice for the Dagansans and other victims of military fascism, like Gregorio Amancio who was killed by the 66th Infantry Battalion inside his house on 19 July 2014 in New Bataan town,” Agustin said.
On October 11, around 10:35 PM, the NPA also harassed the 67th IB patrol base in Cogonon, Trento, Agusan del Sur where two soldiers were killed.
“The NPA’s offensives give lie to the pronouncement of the Armed Forces of the Philippines that the fascist troops are already done in clearing Davao Oriental and some parts of Compostela Valley of the revolutionary movement,” Agustin said.
The NPA claims that their tactical offensives over the last few months has resulted to “platoon-sized fatalities and platoon-sized casualties against the AFP. (davaotoday.com)
