DAVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio condemned the attack of the New People’s Army (NPA) on Wednesday, April 22, at Sitio Kapehan, Barangay Malabog, Paquibato District, Davao City, wounding two soldiers in an attempt to recover their stronghold in the area.
“The New People’s Army has once again shamelessly exposed itself as the devil incarnate when it attacked soldiers in Sitio Kapihan, Barangay Malabog in Paquibato District Wednesday, April 22, 2020,” Duterte-Carpio said in a statement.
Earlier, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) announced the extension of the unilateral ceasefire until April 30 in the wake of the crisis.
Their armed wing, the NPA, was ordered to desist and cease from carrying out offensive military actions against the armed units and personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), and other paramilitary and armed groups attached to the government.
The city’s local chief executive referred to the unilateral truce declared by the CPP-NPA as a “total sham”.
“The cowardly attack, which was carried out with the use of a bomb, only proved that the NPA, the CPP, and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines are truly the enemy of the people and the government,” her statement further read.
The Mayor called on the public to resist the NPA rebels and drive them away from their communities.
“We can clearly expect nothing from the NPA terrorists — not even the slightest compassion for the people. It cannot even feign concern. For the NPA terrorists, what’s important is death, destruction, and taking over the government,” she said.
Based on the information provided by 1003rd Infantry Brigade commander Colonel Nolasco Mempin, the clash between the troops of the 16th Infantry Battalion (IB) and undetermined NPA unit ensued following a report of their presence in the area.
The encounter caused fear to residents dwelling near the encounter site. A certain Ann Luisa Adolfo captured a video while they were hiding at their home, along with other family members, while the sound of fired bullets could be heard.
“The troops had the opportunity to follow the tracks of the CTG (communist terrorist group) and ensued a brief firefight. After a moment, as the blocking troops are occupying their position, an improvised explosive device (IED) was detonated to dissuade the government troops from pursuing the terrorists,” the report said.
The IED explosion caused a minor injury to two army troopers. They were evacuated from the encounter site and currently recuperating in a hospital in the city.
The presence of the NPA in Paquibato, which was already considered insurgency-free, allegedly aims to recover their bases in Paquibato District and disrupt the government’s delivery of services for the people.
Meanwhile, 16th IB commander Lieutenant Colonel Joel Salaguinto assured that Paquibato District remains a peaceful and conflict-resilient area. Stricter checkpoints were put in place to apprehend the perpetrators.
“This incident with the Communist Terrorist Group is a clear manifestation that they are attempting to recover their mass bases for the reason that they are running out of space and can no longer acquire assistance from their mass supporters in the communities. Needless to say, they cannot hide much longer. Thus, we need your continued full support to end the CTGs from disrupting peace and development in the whole City,” Salaguinto said.