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Thursday, July 17, 2003
2 to 3 barangays NPA-affected - Arroyo
By Christine Mae A. Pelayo
AT LEAST two barangays in Bacolod City are affected by the New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas’ activities, disclosed President Macapagal-Arroyo.
Citing intelligence reports, the President who was in Bacolod Tuesday to attend the funeral of Bishop Emeritus Antonio Y. Fortich wanted the local leaders to validate the report.
Mayor Luzviminda Valdez, however, doesn’t believe that the villages are NPA-affected.
“Negros Occidental and Bacolod City are not included in the list in the Visayas of NPA-infected areas,” she said.
Valdez said only the provinces of Iloilo, Samar and Tacloban are affected by NPA activities.
On the other hand, Col. Victor Ibrado, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, admitted that three of the city’s mountainous areas - Barangays Granada, Alangilan and Vista Alegre - are being used by the NPAs based in Talisay City and Murcia town as passageways.
Ibrado said they have sighted two or three communist rebels under the Larangang Guerilla 3 headed by a certain ‘Ka’ Marvin in the three villages.
He, however, does not consider their presence as a threat.
“There is no threat in these areas as they are considered as urban areas. There are no large, skeletal forces of NPAs in the localities,” said Ibrado.
Bacolod City Police Director George Bajelot, on the other hand, said they have not received information yet on the presence of the NPAs in the barangays of Bacolod.
But Bajelot said he will immediately order the city police’ Intelligence Branch to verify such a report.
(July 17, 2003 issue)
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