Wednesday, October 11, 2006 Arroyo orders security detail to all ongoing major projects in RP
* Police deploy special forces to pursue communist raiders
PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has directed the military and police to beef up security in all the official development assistance (ODA) funded and priority projects and throughout the country following the New People's Army (NPA) attack in an international airport construction in Silay City, Negros Occidental Sunday.
Trade Secretary Peter Favila said Arroyo issued the directive following a report of Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza that the NPA attack is a usual practice of the insurgency group who tries to harass, scare and extort money from some companies.
"That's why the President issued a directive to beef up the security where all these ongoing projects are taking place. Compared to what is going on in the region, I think we have similar incidents all over the place. What is important is how are we able to preempt or neutralize this," he said.
Favila cited the South Luzon Expressway (Slex) rehabilitation program where there would be a 24-hour patrol of the area to ensure that there would be no disruption and similar attack from the NPA.
Police commandos are spearheading PNP action against NPA rebels who figured in three hostilities in Negros Occidental, Davao Oriental and Batangas provinces.
The PNP earlier fielded five companies of Special Action Force (SAF) troops in different regions of the country to lead internal security operations against the armed members of the local communist movement.
PNP spokesman Samuel Pagdilao Jr. said the SAF troops have joined elements of the 6th Regional Mobile Group (RMG) based in Western Visayas in pursuing a group of NPA that attacked the New Bacolod International Airport in Silay City that is still under construction at dawn Sunday.
Philippine Army troops stationed in Negros Occidental have also joined pursuit operations against the NPA group that disarmed security guards on duty at the airport construction site and set on fire a power generator set and equipment used in mixing bulk concrete.
In Mati, Davao Oriental, NPA dissidents torched a telecommunication facility cutting off cellular communication in the province's capital town on Monday.
Pagdilao said both incidents were the NPA's retribution for the refusal of the construction firm that is building the new Bacolod airport and the communication network that operates a cellsite in Davao Oriental, from giving in to the extortion demands of the NPA.
In Batangas province, a beach resort became the subject of similar hostile action of the NPA.
"This latest series of hostilities by the NPA describe their desperation in generating more funds for the movement, purposely to finance the activities of their legal front organizations and to support the lavish lifestyles of their leaders," Pagdilao said.
Local police units are also preparing criminal charges against NPA personalities involved in the incidents.
Meanwhile, Favila called on the public to assist the government in securing vital projects by cooperating with authorities and reporting any information to the local authorities that may help avert the NPA attacks.
He said he is still waiting for a reaction from both local and foreign businesses on the attack but based on initial assessments and reports of Mendoza, the only impact that they are anticipating is the two-month delay in the completion of the Silay City airport.
He added that foreign investors are already aware of the NPA threat and in the past they have expressed their interest in putting up and expanding their business in the country despite this.
Favila said they vowed not to succumb to the NPA threats and pay any revolutionary taxes in exchange for the government assistance in securing their projects and investments.
He however said it is unfair to blame the government for the attack or to accuse them of failing to secure vital projects and installations.
Malacañang officials had said the attack in Silay City only justifies the inclusion of the NPA in the list of foreign terrorist organizations of the US and the European Union (EU) and the act proves that they are "anti-people, anti-poor and anti-development." (JMR/VR/Sunnex)
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