Sunday, January 07, 2007 Communist rebels use kids as shields to flee from pursuing troopers
THE military on Saturday accused the New People’s Army (NPA) of using children as shields in their retreat during a recent encounter with soldiers in Polilio town in Quezon province.
Quoting a report by 2nd Infantry Division (ID) chief Fernando Mesa to Southern Luzon Command (Solcom) Chief Alexander Yano, Army spokesman Ernesto Torres said the incident occurred at around 7:15 a.m. in the remote village of Languyan last December 30.
Torres said elements of the Army’s 16th Infantry Battalion (IB) were on combat patrol when they caught up with at least seven NPA rebels, sparking a firefight that resulted in the recovery of a caliber .45 pistol.
“During the firefight, the government troops noticed that there were children present in the NPA’s position,” said Torres.
“This prompted the soldiers to immediately cease firing for fear that the children might get hit in the crossfire enabling the NPA terrorists to escape,” he also said, adding that the firefight only lasted for three minutes.
There were no reported casualties on both sides.
Quoting Yano, Torres said: “The CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines)-NPA once again showed their wanton disregard for the children’s rights by using them as shields. They put the lives of the children in danger so that they can escape capture by the government troops.”
The military urged the public particularly in Southern Luzon to open their eyes on the true nature of the communist terrorists. “In the end, it’s their interests that will matter. Their recruits and mass-base support are good only until they are of use,” Torres said, quoting Yano. (VR/Sunnex)
