AFP using civilians as shields
Chadli Molintas Command
New People's Army - Ilocos-Cordillera
Press Statement
May 19, 2005
The 50th IB is twisting and reversing facts by blaming the NPA for acts that the military is guilty of - that of forcibly using civilians as shields and guides during military operations.
Recent Press Releases by the 50th IB claim that the NPA used children as shields during an encounter in barangay Nagcullooban, Sinait, Ilocos Sur, in the early morning of April 5, 2005. Reports from the NPA unit operating in the area attest that it was the troops of the 50th IB under Lt. Col. Pascion who used three civilians as shields after the 30-minute firefight. Prior to their withdrawal, the AFP troops also illegally entered and searched civilian houses, stole P2,000 in cash, and confiscated documents of ownership of land and carabao.
A week after the encounter, the local PNP called four members of the Tumbaga family (Virgilio, Paulo, Corazon, and Lucita), and under duress and threat to their lives, forced them to sign an affidavit stating that the NPA used children as shields during the encounter, and that the NPA was forcibly collecting taxes from the people.
It is the AFP that rampantly and deliberately uses civilians as shields and guides during their military operations. In Tapayen, Tineg, Abra, after military operations, troops of the 17th IB combined with the RSOT of the 503rd Brigade conscript civilians to guide them, force them to wear army uniforms while military troops wear plainclothes. They use teenagers as cargadors of their supplies. In Kalinga and in all other provinces of the country, military troops ride in passenger jeeps, putting civilian passengers in danger, as a matter of policy to avoid being ambushed by the NPA, instead of using their own military vehicles.
The Chadli Molintas Command vehemently condemns the AFP's use of civilians as shields and guides in military operations. The NPA as a matter of principle and practice, never uses civilians as shields. The NPA knows that doing otherwise would be detrimental to the interests of the revolutionary cause and the welfare of the people whom it serves wholeheartedly. Furthermore, the NPA does not forcibly collect revolutionary taxes from the people. It only accepts the voluntary donations and support of the organized and supportive masses.
The Chadli Molintas Command also takes this opportunity to warn businessmen and enterpreneurs against certain elements posing as NPA who are extorting "revolutionary taxes" from them. The NPA only collects revolutionary taxes from big comprador capitalists and landlords, not from ordinary and middle businessmen. A number of these extortionist activities have proven to be masterminded by military officials, or criminal syndicates with AFP connections. By using the NPA as cover, they besmirch the reputation of the revolutionary forces while reaping profits at the same time.
MARTIN MONTANA
Spokesperson
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