NPA overran 1st SFB patrol base; soldiers suffer 4 KIA
THE NEW PEOPLE’S Army – North Central Mindanao Region (NPA-NCMR) lauds the Red armies of NPA-Bukidnon who successfully overran the 1st Special Forces Civilian Active Auxiliary Patrol Base in Sitio Green Valley, Brgy. Dalwangan, Malaybalay City on February 14, 2019, 9:40 PM.
The operatives of NPA-Bukidnon confirmed that the Special Forces suffered four killed-in-action (KIA) while the NPA withdrew with one KIA and two wounded-in-action. The Red armies also seized seven (7) different high-powered rifles from the soldiers including an M203, three baby armalites, an M16 rifle, an M14 rifle, a garand rifle and live ammunitions.
According to Ka Malem Mabini, spokesperson of NPA-NCMR, “The infamous 1st SFB is a legitimate target of the revolutionary movement because of the destruction it brought to the people.”
After the NPA’s punitive action against Del Monte and DOLE last February 19, 2013 in Bukidnon, the multinational corporations hired the 1st Special Forces Battalion to fend their company from future attacks of the NPA. From then on, the 1st SFB served as the corporations security forces.
“The primary reason of the 1st SFB’s stationing here in Bukidnon is to fend the foreign corporation and consequently, they constantly exploit the farmers and lumad residing near the plantations of Del Monte and DOLE,” according to Mabini.
Del Monte occupied more than 50,000 hectares of pineapple plantion in Bukidnon, not including other land areas declared as owned by landlords and contract growers. It has also been notorious to its workers, paying them impoverish wage of less than P300 per day. But this anti-people and anti-environment corporation continued its inhumane operation despite of the NPA’s admonitory action.
“The multinational corporations should have been pleased with the safeguard the 1st SFB provided so they could go on with their anti-people operation,” Mabini added.
Hundreds of farmers cannot reclaim their own land stolen by Del Monte and other foreign corporations because of the 1st SFB’s close guarding against the people’s protest. They were even behind the brutal killings against peasants and lumad in the province, which made them as the notorious ‘Massacre Battalion’. To name a few were the the massacres in Bugna on March 2015; in Pangantucan on September 2015, killing five civilians, including a 70-year old blind man and his children; in Talacag Massacre on March 2016, killing three civilians and wounding a pregnant and other two innocents; and the strafing of a car in Brgy. Bangkod, Valencia City on September 2015. Until today, no justice, nor indemnification, served to the victims and their families.
“These raging brutal activities of the 1st SFB become insistent because of their perpetuating military and psychological operations in lumad and peasant communities,” added Mabini. Dalwangan is just among the areas the soldiers have been operating.
Just as how the Armed Forces of the Philippines implemented their whole-of-nation approach against communists, these pyschological operations are vicious effort to neutralize the people’s resistance. They will then install their camps and patrol bases to ultimately control the activities of the residents. Pretentious humanitarian aids and livelihoods will follow.
“The 1st SFB should expect more blow from the NPA until they continue their brutal and devious activities against the people. The masses and the revolutionary movement will never be cowed,” added Mabini.
“As the US-Duterte regime and the state forces continue to deprive the people from their basic democratic rights, the Red army will intensify the armed struggle to provide a just and fair society,” Mabini ended.