Friday, December 28, 2007 Police: NPA torched mayor's jeepney By Stephen Capillas and Lizanilla J. Amarga
THE provincial police office confirmed Thursday that it was the communist New People's Army (NPA) that torched one of the passenger jeepneys owned by Magsaysay Municipal Mayor Gerardo Ocot last December 18.
In a radio interview, Philippine National Police (PNP) Provincial Director Danilo Pelisco said the communist NPA rebels torched the vehicle after the mayor reportedly "failed" to heed to their extortion demands.
"They were demanding money from him in the form of so-called 'revolutionary taxes' and when he failed to do this, they told the passengers to get off and then torched the vehicle," Pelisco said.
The torching came amid reports of "intensified operations" between the military and the communist NPA rebels in the coming year, after the conclusion of their declared ceasefires.
The incident occurred prior to last Wednesday's 39th anniversary of the founding of the communist NPA rebels, which the military and police in Northern Mindanao, said was held without incident.
Earlier, the communist NPA rebels threatened to stage offensives as part of their annual commemoration of their founding anniversary as a "show of strength", military officials said.
Prior to the anniversary, communist NPA rebels attacked a municipal hall in Samar killing a militiaman and seizing several firearms and assault weapons.
Fleet
Previously, armed men believed to be communist NPA rebels disguised themselves as passengers. They then torched a Butuan City-bound passenger jeepney in sitio Kabangkalan, Barangay Rojales this town at 4 p.m. last December 18.
Carmen Municipal Police Office said the passenger jeepney with 20 passengers on board including the suspects traveled along the national highway from Gingoog City bound Butuan City when it was stopped by the armed suspects.
The suspects ordered the driver to turn right until they reached the mountainous area of sitio Kabangkalan and told him to stop the vehicle and drop off the passengers.
The unidentified armed men poured gasoline on the vehicle then torched it with a lighter. No one was harmed.
The jeepney driver, Rolando Pilapil Jr., is a resident of Barangay Sta. Cruz, Magsaysay, Misamis Oriental.
The vehicle was one in a fleet of passenger jeepneys owned by the family of Magsaysay town Mayor Gerardo Ocot plying the Magsaysay-Gingoog-Butuan City routes.
Report
The National Democratic Front-Northern Mindanao, the legal front of the communist movement, said it declined to invite local media to cover their anniversary because it was "unsafe for them."
A suspension of military operations (Somo) was ordered by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for December 24 and 25 as well as this coming December 31 and January 1.
The Fourth Infantry Division for its part has also maintained its full alert status despite the SOMO declared by the president.
A military intelligence report e-mailed to this paper last Monday revealed how President Arroyo secured a P5 billion budget for the military's upgrade in 2008 to "make sure that whatever campaign it will undertake will be carried on to full realization."
"We are ordered to employ all means available in the arsenal of democracy to crush those who wish to transplant the roots of radicalism in our land," the report reads.
The report further read how Arroyo's order may be hard to attain despite efforts if the general public "will not support its men on the ground."
