The Philippine military seems to be on the propaganda offensive again against the New People’s Army, this time accusing the communist movement of recruiting minors and children. In this news report, the military claims that a 12-year-old member of the NPA was killed in an encounter in New Bataan, Compostela Valley on Saturday. In two earlier press releases, the military said it captured seven NPA guerrillas — all allegedly minors — in Agusan del Sur and Bukidnon. The military says three of the alleged NPA guerrillas in the picture above are minors. (Photo: Public Affairs Office, 6th Infantry Division/AFP)
Below are two press releases by the military. In its website, the military published the full names and pictures of the minors. For the protection of the minors, Davao Today removed the minor’s names and blurred their faces.
H E A D Q U A R T E R S
4TH INFANTRY (DIAMOND) DIVISION, PHILIPPINE ARMY
Camp Evangelista, Patag, Cagayan de Oro City
PRESS RELEASE
Contact: MAJOR SAMUEL C SAGUN (INF) PA 26 March 2007
Chief, Division Public Affairs Office, 4ID, PA
Telefax: (088) 350-7223/ 09208805600
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ARMY IN AGUSAN DEL SUR CAPTURED MINOR NPA COMBATANTS
Camp Edilberto Evangelista, Cagayan de Oro City. . . Elements of 29th Infantry (Matatag) Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, Philippine Army led by 2lt Castro and 2lt Narag, that conducted hot pursuit operations encountered again the same group of more or less ten (10) communist terrorists under Edwin Alacre aka Glen/Aarman, Secretary of Front Committee 8, North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC) at about 12:40 in the afternoon of 23 March 2007 at Sitio Kanunay, Brgy Laperian, Prosperidad, Agusan Del Sur.
Lieutenant Colonel Amador Tabuga, commanding officer of 29th infantry battalion in his progress report to Colonel Dante B Fernandez, commanding officer 402nd infantry (Stingers) Brigade, his troops engaged the same communist terrorist group that they encountered at about 1:30 in the afternoon of 20 mar 07 at Sitio San Roque, Brgy Katipunan, Bayugan, Agusan Del Sur. The 45 minutes encounter resulted in the recovery one claymore mine, one landmine explosive, combat packs and voluminous subversive documents. The troops captured five NPA combatants and the three are minors namely: Dominador Alonzo Rafael, 19 yrs old, Ernie Gomez Alonzo, 18 Yrs Old, *****, 17 Yrs Old, *****, 17 yrs old and *****, 14 yrs old. They are undergoing tactical interrogation at the Battalion headquarters and the minors will be turned over to DSWD. Moreover, at least two were wounded on the side of the communist terrorist group while no casualty on the government troops.
The capture of the minor combatants indicates that the NPA is callously violating the Republic Act 7610 otherwise known as Child Protection Act by recruiting minor as combatants. Hereunder is an extract of the Act:
AN ACT PROVIDING FOR STRONGER DETERRENCE AND SPECIAL PROTECTION AGAINST CHILD ABUSE, EXPLOITATION AND DISCRIMINATION, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
ARTICLE I Title, Policy, Principles and Definitions of Terms
Section 1. Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.”
Sec. 2. Declaration of State Policy and Principles. – It is hereby declared to be the policy of the State to provide special protection to children from all firms of abuse, neglect, cruelty exploitation and discrimination and other conditions, prejudicial their development; provide sanctions for their commission and carry out a program for prevention and deterrence of and crisis intervention in situations of child abuse, exploitation and discrimination. The State shall intervene on behalf of the child when the parent, guardian, teacher or person having care or custody of the child fails or is unable to protect the child against abuse, exploitation and discrimination or when such acts against the child are committed by the said parent, guardian, teacher or person having care and custody of the same.
FIVE NPA COMBATANTS AND THE THREE ARE MINORS NAMELY: DOMINADOR ALONZO RAFAEL, 19 YRS OLD, ERNIE GOMEZ ALONZO, 18 YRS OLD, *****, 17 YRS OLD, *****, 17 YRS OLD AND *****, 14 YRS OLD
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27 March 2007
OTHER MINORS RECRUITED BY NPA
A platoon of the 26th Infantry Battalion, while conducting combat operations, captured four (4) NPA amazons in Barangay Maputi, San Fernando, Bukidnon last 16 September 2006.
The four (4) minors identified as alias Emmie, Bolenday, Juday and Lorena (true names withheld) were identified by a rebel returnee who acted as guide of the operating troops. The four young amazons admitted that they are members of Front Committee 52, PBC-1 of the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee of the CPP/NPA/NDF under a certain Igor. After the debriefing, the four (4) amazons were turned over in Barangay Kalagangan to Barangay Chairman Manib of Barangay Maputi. The teeners later rejoined their families.
The communist terrorists have exploited minors into joining their ranks. Days ago, Joy, an NPA medic aged 18 years old gave birth at Camp Evangelista Hospital . She was captured earlier with her NPA commander-husband in Linabo, Quezon, Bukidnon. The couple admitted that they were both minors when they entered the communist terrorist movement. Bata pa, dali ra mi nailad (Being young, we easily fell prey to the communists deception). Jury, a team leader of FC 6 of the CPP/NPA/NDF, intends to go back to farming and regrets his decision of joining the communist terrorist movement. GABRIELA and other cause-oriented groups are yet to denounce the exploitation of children and women by the CPP/NPA/NDF.
