SOME 60 New People’s Army (NPA) rebels set up a road block along the highway in Pahindong village, Medina town, Misamis Oriental at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, February 21, causing alarm among motorists and residents, an army official said.
First Lieutenant Francis Carandang, commanding officer of the 58th Infantry Battalion, said two platoons of NPA rebels manned the road block for about 10 minutes.
Carandang said the rebels talked to the village captain, threatened the residents, and ate breakfast at the village's basketball court before heading southwest.
He added the rebels may have been driven into town following intensified military operations in the hinterlands.
"Old tactic na nila ito na kapag ang isang grupo nila ay naiipit, magpapakita 'yung isang grupo naman sa isang area para ma-lessen yung pressure (This is an old tactic that when one of their group was hound, the other group will show up in an area to lessen the pressure)," Carandang said.
"Diri-diritso 'yung military operations sa iba't-ibang lugar ng Misamis Oriental, so ang tingin po natin doon is medyo naiipit sila sa ibang area kaya nagpakita sila diyan sa lugar na yan (Military operations in Misamis Oriental are continuous, so I think this what made them feel pressured)," he said.
The commanding officer clarified situation along the highway is now back to normal and said the army may put up detachments in different parts of the highway to discourage rebels from putting up road blocking.
"Patuloy pa din tayo sa pag-secure ng ating communities, medyo maingat lang tayo sa pag-responde sa area para hindi magaya doon sa kasamahan sa Davao na may hinarass na community at pagresponde natin, inambush nila (We continue to secure our communities. We are careful in responding on the area so that the situation won’t be the same with what happened in our colleagues in Davao, they were ambushed)," Carandang added.
Military visibility is being strengthened by the agency, he said.
The wife of the policeman abducted by the NPA in Tikalaan village, Talakag town, Bukidnon last February 9, is appealing for the release of her husband.
Stephanie Natividad, wife of abducted policeman Police Officer (PO) 2 Anthony Natividad, said she is calling on President Rodrigo Duterte to continue the peace talks and resume the ceasefire.
Stephanie and Anthony have been married for three years already and have a three-year-old daughter.
The Natividad family is residing in Madaya, Pangantucan, Bukidnon.
PO2 Anthony Natividad is assigned at the Kalilangan, Bukidnon municipal police station and was on board his motorcycle bound for the Regional Police Office-Northern Mindanao at Camp Alagar, Lapasan, this city, to undergo medical examination required for his schooling when abducted by the rebels.
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