NPAs torch Davao cell site

DAVAO CITY — Suspected New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas torched a transmission tower of Globe Telecom in Panabo, Davao del Norte Saturday night, police said.

Police said at least nine armed men carried out the attack on the Globe Telecom cell site at the boundary of Barangays Manay and Malitbog in Panabo town at about 7 p.m.

Combined elements of the Panabo police and the Army’s 73rd Infantry Battalion were pursuing the attackers believed to have sought refuge in NPA lairs in neighboring towns.

Last week, another Globe Telecom cell site in Mati, Davao Oriental was torched.

The strong presence of the NPA in Davao del Norte, Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental has prompted the Army to establish a new unit, the 10th Infantry Division, based in Davao City.

Maj. Gen. Ernesto Boac, 10th ID commander, said his unit was created purposely to combat the communist insurgency in Southern Mindanao.

Boac said the 10th ID is now moving its troops to areas in the region considered as NPA strongholds.

"This is part of our commitment to sustain combat operations to defend democracy by defeating the insurgency, especially in areas where they are noted to be strongest," he said.

At least five battalions have reportedly been moved to Davao Oriental, Davao del Norte and Compostela Valley, where many barangays are reportedly heavily influenced by the NPA.

Boac said the realignment of forces, including the establishment of an advance command post in Mawab, Compostela Valley, is part of their stepped-up campaign against the communist rebels.

Boac told The STAR that his unit has to contend with seven of the top 20 NPA fronts operating in Davao del Norte and Compostela Valley.

He said two NPA commands operate in the 10th ID’s jurisdiction, one of them the Southern Mindanao Regional Command.

"With such significant units of the communist rebels, I envision that we shall play an important role in support of the socio-economic programs of the national and local government agencies and other sectors of society to eliminate the root causes of insurgency in our assigned areas of operations," he said.

The 10th ID is a component of the Armed Forces Eastern Mindanao Command, which was activated last month after the Southern Command was split into two.

Meanwhile, National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales said the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA remains the country’s biggest security threat despite the growing threat from the al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah terror network.

"Among the threat groups, it is still the CPP-NPA that is the main threat to our national peace and security," said Gonzales, who was in Davao City for a workshop on the national security situation for police and military officials in the region.

Central Mindanao was recently rocked by a spate of bombings, which authorities have blamed on the Jemaah Islamiyah. The attacks prompted a terror alert in Metro Manila.