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Thursday, February 26, 2004
2 mayors get notes from ‘NPA over tax’
By Minerva B. Gerodias
Sun.Star Staff Reporters
TWO incumbent mayors in the northern towns of Cebu have received a letter from the New People’s Army for “negotiations” in relation to their political plans for the May 10 elections.
Police officials suspect that the letter is either a demand for revolutionary tax from the rebels or nothing more than an extortion racket by people pretending to be rebels.
The letter, signed by Ka Isagani Silang of the NPA-Arnulfo Ortiz Regional Operational Command, was dated Oct. 15, 2003 yet, but the two mayors only received it last week.
It was hand-carried by two motorcycle-riding men who immediately left after delivering the letter.
Senior Insp. Limuel Obon, Provincial Intelligence and Investigation Division (PIID) chief, said they suspect that the letters are meant to demand for “revolutionary taxes” from politicians.
The police official requested that the mayors not be named, for their security.
The letter stated that in the Philippines, there are already two political powers that exist.
The first is the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) while the other is the countryside-based People’s Revolutionary Government (PRG).
“The PRG implements its revolutionary policies within and in the peri-phery of its various guerilla fronts, including those pertaining to peace and order, the dispensation of justice and collection of taxes,” the letter read.
The letter also threatened that the NPA will impose punitive measures to those who violate the PRG policies.
The last paragraph of the letter calls on the mayor to negotiate with them within 15 days after its receipt “so as to remove complications upon your political plans relative to the forthcoming GRP national and local elections in May 2004.”
There was a handwritten cell phone number of the liaison staff identified as Ira at the bottom of the bond paper, but when called, the number could not be reached.
Obon held an intelligence coordinating conference yesterday and ordered his intelligence officers to confirm the authenticity of the letters.
Obon is not discounting the possibility that a group of extortionists pretending to be rebels could be responsible for making the letter.
(February 26, 2004 issue)
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