THE Bohol Police Provincial Office (BPPO) has welcomed the entry of another government agency to investigate the encounter between the government forces and the members of the New People's Army in Purok Matin-ao 2, Barangay Campagao, Bilar town last February 23, 2024.
According to Police Lieutenant Colonel Norman Nuez, the information officer of the BPPO, it is best to have another government agency to clarify what really happened in the encounter that claimed the lives of five NPAs, a policeman and the injury of another policeman.
The Anak Bayan Central Visayas alleged that the incident was not an encounter but a massacre.
In a picture that went viral on social media, Domingo Compoc—also known as Silong and Commander Cobra—was escorted by a soldier.
Compoc is seen without a shirt on and both of his hands behind his back.
According to Nuez, they immediately contacted the PNP Cyber Crime Unit in Bohol to have the photo checked after noticing that it had been altered.
He disputed the coconut trees that are visible in the background since the incident happened on a rice field.
"Wala siyay factual basis nga didto gyud na nakuha sa encounter site or legitimate ba na nga picture, nya klaro no posibli nga edited or photoshop, naay something nga gi maniobra ang picture, manipulated ang picture," Nuez said.
(He doesn't have a factual basis that it was taken at the encounter site or that it was authentic; furthermore, it might have been edited or photoshopped, that an altercation or modification has been made to the image).
The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) conducted another fact-finding inquiry a few days after the occurrence, but this time they did not see any coconut trees in the vicinity that resembled those in the photo.
Moreover, they failed to identify the soldier standing behind Compoc.
According to Nuez, the battle began when someone fired at the joint police and military forces as they were about to serve the arrest warrant against Compoc.
According to Nuez, the gunfight, which lasted for over two hours, started when someone opened the kitchen door of the home where the rebels were staying and started firing, striking Police Corporal Gilbert Amper in the head.
Meanwhile, Bohol Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado, on his part, told the relatives of the NPAs who lost their lives to stop being irate with the government forces since they were just carrying out their duty.
He assured the residents of Bilar that he would fund more livelihood initiatives in the municipality in order to discourage individuals from joining the leftist group. (AYB, TPT)