Army raid on NPA lair may scuttle Mayon truce

LEGAZPI CITY — The National Democratic Front (NDF) is thinking of scuttling the unilateral ceasefire it declared around Mayon Volcano a month ago after Army soldiers attacked a New People’s Army (NPA) safehouse Tuesday morning, killing two rebels and wounding many others.

Greg Bañares, NDF-Albay spokesman, condemned the attack in Barangay Soa, saying it was a violation of the unilateral ceasefire declared by the NDF last month.

Barangay Soa is 11 kilometers from the crater of Mayon Volcano.

The NDF said it would not attack government forces within a 15-kilometer radius of the volcano.

Government volcanologists have extended the danger zone from six to eight kilometers on the volcano’s southeast side due to the lava flows.

Col. Manny Orduña, commanding officer of the Army’s 65th Infantry Battalion, said he would stick to the volcanologists’ declared eight-kilometer danger zone.

"The 15-kilometer effectivity of their unilateral ceasefire is simply aimed at (giving) the NPA freedom of movement to conduct terrorist activities," said Orduña.

Despite the unilateral ceasefire, he said the insurgents were still making their maneuvers.

Reports said 15 rebels belonging to the Front Committee "Pluto" under a certain Ka Kris were in the Barangay Soa safehouse when soldiers attacked them at about 10 a.m. Tuesday.

"Our troops caught them by surprise while some of them were playing cara y cruz," Orduña said, adding that the ensuing 15-minute firefight left two rebels dead.

"We cannot just stick to their unilateral ceasefire while poor farmers are complaining about being threatened if they don’t give food or cash," he said.

The NDF declared the unilateral ceasefire after NPA rebels fired at an Army detachment in Barangay Homapon and exploded an M-203 grenade inside the camp of the 901st Infantry Brigade in Barangay Villahermosa, Daraga town, wounding three soldiers packing relief goods and medicines for the Mayon evacuees.

Meanwhile, Cedric Daep, head of the provincial disaster management office, said 11,000 evacuees have already been sent home.

Daep said 2,145 evacuees from Barangays Comun and Nagsipit in Tabaco City were also ordered to go home.