NPA recruits tribesmen from Aurora, Nueva Vizcaya

SAN JOSE CITY, Nueva Ecija – Tribesmen in Aurora and Nueva Vizcaya were reportedly the latest targets of massive recruitment activities of the communist New People’s Army (NPA).

This was disclosed here by a ranking Army official who said that tribal leaders of the Dumagats, Bugkalots, Igorots and Ilongots are now the subject of intense recruitment by the communist movement as a way of increasing its dwindling membership.

Lt. Col. Joselito Kakilala, battalion commander of the Army’s 48th Infantry Battalion (IB) stationed in this city, said one of those successfully recruited by the NPAs was a certain Eddie Dela Torre, alias Ka Dencio, a Dumagat tribesman from Aurora. He said Dela Torre was part of a rebel group that strafed the 48th IB’s detachment in Sitio Diaboyo, Barangay Ditumabo, San Luis, Aurora recently.

He said other Dumagats were being recruited by NPA rebels in Sitio Diolbos, Barangay Abuyo, Castañeda in Nueva Vizcaya.

"They (NPAs) are capitalizing on the natives’ lack of basic education to recruit them to their fold and make up for the decreasing number of NPAs as a result of defections, mass surrenders and dismantling of guerrilla fronts over the past two years," Kakilala added.

He said that aside from the tribesmen, minors who usually fall prey to the promise of a better life by the insurgents were also key targets.

Kakilala said that through massive counter-insurgency campaign, they were able to persuade Ka Dencio to surrender to the government which then granted him a scholarship so he could go to school. "We have to educate these people to counteract the recruitment activities of the NPA and so far we are succeeding," he said. – Manny Galvez