54^th IB Commanding Officer LTC Narciso B. Nabulneg Jr. continues to spew lies against the Nona Del Rosario Command (NDRC – NPA Ifugao) to fool themselves and the masses that the cadres and members of NDRC are “abandoning their mass base for fear of being compromised and captured” and to amass the millions of pesos under the E-CLIP.

Last September 3, Nabulneg boasted that a regular member of the NDRC surrendered peacefully to its army detachment in Kiangan, Ifugao and brought 1 M653 rifle, 1 caliber 357 revolver pistol and ammunitions. NDRC clears that none of its red fighters ever surrendered on that day.

Before that, last August 20, they reported that Espino “Ka Kevin” Bangad of Barangay Cawayan, Asipulo surrendered willingly to the police. According to their press release, Bangad was a “hard-core NPA regular member” who was fed up of always running without any food supplies when there are military operations. This is another lie by Nabulneg. Bangad was an NPA fighter only until 2016 and was a vegetable farmer since.

These tactics of Nabulneg are nothing but low, cowardly and dirty. Once again, this shows the 54^th IB’s growing frustration and desperation that since their pronouncement that NDRC would be crushed by the end of September, not even one red fighter did they able to find. Thus they resort to terrorizing and forcing civilians, human rights advocates and long-time lie-low NPA members to pose and surrender as regular NPA members in exchange of the Enhanced Comprehensive Livelihood Integration Program (E-CLIP).

But in actuality, majority of those who “surrendered” didn’t even get a penny from the promised ₱65,000 financial assistance. Even those who were forced to surrender their personal rifles in the belief that they would get an additional ₱50,000, also received nothing in exchange.

Indeed, the E-CLIP is anomalous. It is a massive source of corruption of AFP officials in the likes of Nabulneg. They never cease to weave stories of “NPA surrenders” to continually secure the millions from the funds of the people. Since 2017, the 54^th IB has pocketed approximately ₱7 million from the more than 100 civilians they have deceived and coerced to surrender as NPA members.

The perpetual lies, immense corruption and intensified violence of Nabulneg and the 54^th IB must be exposed and condemned with utmost severity. These crimes against the people are the reasons why the counter-insurgency plan of the AFP and the US-Duterte regime will inevitably fail. These crimes would intensify the anger and hatred of the Ifugao people against the ruling tyrannic regime and would veer them towards the revolution.