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Friday, June 20, 2008
P5M bounty up for arrest of Negros rebel leader
BACOLOD CITY -- A P5-million reward awaits anyone who could provide information to the police or the military on the whereabouts of Fr. Frank Fernandez alias Ka Frank of the New People's Army (NPA) in Negros.
Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office director Rosendo Franco on Thursday announced the bounty for Ka Frank's immediate arrest, dead or alive.
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Fernandez, a priest-turned-rebel, remains the leader of NPA in Negros.
"Anyone who could point where Ka Frank is hiding right now, he or she can avail of this P5-million bounty," Franco said.
He added: "Matagal na ito pero ngayon lamang ipinaalam sa publiko (this reward has long existed but we informed the public about it just now)."
Aside from Ka Frank, another P5-million bounty is intended for the capture of Randell Echaniz, concurrent member of NPA's central committee and secretary of the National Peasant Commission (NPC).
The police in Bago City arrested Echaniz last month.
Latest intelligence report from the military meanwhile said that Ka Frank has recovered from a year of being bedridden due to diabetes and is now back to active mode.
"We don't know what happened but as far as we are concerned, Ka Frank has revitalized and is now active in implementing orders from the National Democratic Front (NDF)," said Army General Gregorio Fajardo, newly appointed military spokesman of the government's peace process with the breakaway Revolutionary Proletarian Army Alex Bongcayao Brigade (RPA-ABB).
Just recently, Fernandez issued a statement calling Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (Carp) "an insult" that would "only hasten the death of the hungry masses."
The NPA has intensified its attacks in the last two weeks. They burned three Tanduay trucks in Escalante, which damaged two coal mine sites in Calatrava town.
The rebel group recently killed a civilian and attacked a Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu) detachment in Guihulngan City, Oriental Negros.
Fajardo, however, belittled these actions. "These will further demean the credibility of the NPA."
He said the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will remain steadfast in attaining its goal to "wipe out" insurgency in the country by 2010. (Erwin Ambo Delilan of Sun.Star Bacolod/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro. (June 20, 2008 issue)
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