THE Philippine Army in Negros Occidental believes the alleged sexual abuses within the New People's Army (NPA) after the recovery of anti-pregnancy pills in an encounter site.
Boxes of contraceptive pills were among those recovered from the site where the March 23 encounter ensued between troops and around 40 NPA members in Sitio Agit, Barangay Trinidad, Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental, the Army report stated.
During scouring conducted by government troops, these boxes of anti-pregnancy pills were found along with other personal stuffs of NPA rebels who scampered away to different directions.
Some of the stubs of these contraceptives were already used as evidenced by the missing tablets during the recovery, the report added.
The Army, through Captain Kelvin Bayaban, CMO, said in a press statement that there have been many female NPA members all over the country who surrendered and became living testimonies to these sexual abuses that occur in the organization.
These females can no longer stand to such hopeless situation and bravely went out into the open and talked about their harsh experiences within the organization wherein they were only treated as sex objects and lust quenchers of their abusive leaders, it added.
Colonel Michael Samson, Acting 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, said, "The recovery of these anti-pregnancy pills seems to confirm the existence of sexual exploitation of female combatants in the ranks of the NPAs as previously revealed by those who have surrendered. Former female NPAs have shared stories of their local leaders' sexual advances and harassments that has long been the source of frustration and disappointment among female members."