A group of former New People’s Army (NPA) rebels who have returned to the fold of the law staged an indignation rally in Trinidad town on Monday condemning the continued illicit activities of the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
The former rebels and some members of farmer groups gathered for a protest in front of the Trinidad town hall in line with the NPA’s 52nd founding anniversary on Monday.
In a statement, the Philippine Army’s 47th Infantry Battalion said that around 100 individuals joined the rally.
The three-hour event started at 9 a.m. with a motorcade from Barangay Soo to Barangay San Vicente.
In a speech, Antonio Muring, chairman of the League of Filipino Students-Bohol and former Anakbayan spokesperson, called on others not to support the rebel movement which, he said, is following a misguided ideology.
“Miundang ko sa kalihukan, kay sa akong pagka armado human mahimong aktibista, wa nako kasabot sa sistema nila. Wala nako kasabot sa programa sa mga komunistang NPA. Ug karon isip usa na ka kanhi rebelde, akong padayong pag awhag sa katawhan nga dili na mosuporta sa walhong grupo,” Muring said.
He said that the rebel movement is still leading its followers nowhere 52 years after its inception and should be stopped.
“Daghan ng biktima sa ilang walay klaro nga pagtoo. Singkwentay Dos nga pagpanglingla sa katawhan ug paghatag ug kagubot sa atong nasud,” he added.
Bohol was once deemed a hotbed for communist insurgency until the early 2000s before it was declared insurgency free in 2010.
While authorities still consider the province to be free from insurgency, there have been reported encounters between state forces and alleged NPA rebels in the past three years.
The reported clashes erupted in far-flung villages in Batuan and Bilar. (RT)