Security tightened around Cordillera mining firms vs NPA attack

BAGUIO CITY – All mining firms in the Cordillera are being closely watched and tightly guarded against possible attacks by the New People’s Army (NPA), a police spokesman in the autonomous region said.

Claiming that security arrangements by the local police are in place, Cordillera police spokesman Superintendent Arni Dean Emock said provincial police mobile groups and regional mobile groups are supporting efforts to guard firms that could possibly suffer from guerrilla attacks.

The other day, CPP spokesman Gregorio Rosal ordered NPA units around the country to initiate attacks against mining firms whose operations have contributed to environmental destruction. He also hinted that protest actions against commercial mining will be initiated in the coming months.

The Cordillera, specifically Benguet province, is host to Lepanto Consolidated Mining Co. in Mankayan town, the country’s oldest and biggest producer of gold, and Philex Mining, a big producer of copper and silver in Tuba town. 

But Emock said he is confident that no huge damage will be suffered by mining firms specifically in the Cordillera because they have the intelligence community monitoring all vital areas on movements of “threat groups,” including the NPA.

Authorities are currently implementing a three-tiered defense system that includes target hardening, incident management and intelligence buildup to counter terror attacks, Emock said.

All possible targets, the police spokesman said, are well guarded.

Lawyer Weldy Manlong, speaking in behalf of Lepanto Mining, said that any attack on mining firms “is unfair.”

He argued that mining “is one of the vehicles for promoting countryside development and uplifting poverty.”

President Arroyo has been bullish in resurrecting the mining industry in the country and is optimistic with the increased interest of foreign investors into mining ventures here.

Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines is confident of crushing the 38 year-old communist insurgency in the country before Mrs. Arroyo’s term ends in 2010, a military spokesman said yesterday.

Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres, army spokesman, said that this projection was based on actual combat figures during the first quarter of the year.

“Considering the figures that we (Army) have, we are on track (into defeating the communists),” Torres said, referring to Oplan Bantay Laya, the government’s master plan in defeating the NPA and the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group.

Torres said that as of first quarter of 2007, the manpower of the NPA was reduced to 6,736 with 5,899 firearms as compared to 7,200 rebels in December last year.

“We have initiated, we have recorded 60 operations which yielded positive results against the communists for last month alone,” he said.

Of the total number of operations, 27 were in Luzon, 17 in Visayas and 16 in Mindanao.

In July, Torres said, Army forces “neutralized” 146 rebels throughout the country.

Of the figures, 23 were killed, 20 were captured and 103 surrendered and returned to the government fold. – With James Mananghaya