KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines – Eight of the 40 barangays in this city were tagged as “areas of security concern†due to the resurgence of taxation by communist rebels.
Police and the military deployed last week intelligence operatives in the adjoining barangays of San Roque, San Isidro, Santo Niño, Linangkob, Katipunan, Malinan, Marbel, and Sikitan to monitor the activities of New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas preying on villagers.
1Lt. Nash Sema, civil-military relations officer of the Army’s 57th Infantry Battalion, said the rebels could have expanded their taxation activities in the eight barangays located at the foot of Mt. Apo, in preparation for next month’s barangay polls.
“These rebels are good at collecting money using intimidation as their tool to force people and candidates during electoral exercises to give them money,†Sema said.
Citing reports by plainclothes agents of the 57th IB, Sema said the insurgents threatened to execute any of the chairmen of the eight barangays who would refuse to shell out P500 in protection money on a monthly basis.
The rebels are asking barangay councilmen to shell out P200, according to Sema.
1Lt. Bon Hugo, 57th IB operations officer, said the rebels mulcting money from villagers and barangay officials belong to the NPA’s Guerrilla Front 72.
The same rebel group was responsible for the burning of the processing plant of the Standard Rubber Development Corp. in Makilala town two weeks ago, leaving 700 workers jobless.
The NPA pulled off the arson attack after the owner of the rubber plantation refused to shell out money.