In my recent "NPA Armed Contacts for the Third Quarter of 2011" entry I chronicled the NPA's attack on Nano Trading and Mining Corporation in the municipality of Impasug-ong in Bukidnon Province. Nano, as I noted, is an Indian-based multi-national corporation that at this particular site, located in Barangay Kapitan Bayong's Purok #5, acts as the transport and loading agent for locally owned chromite mines. On August 6th, 2011 guerillas from Front 88 of the Northcentral Mindanao Regional Committee, or NCMRC, approached the mine compound and when a group of labourers were leaving after their shift and turned heel trying to warn others, they were fired upon by the NPA.
Eleven men were hit, with one, Jose Castro, dying immediately. The other ten were rushed to the nearest hospital but unfortunately, by the time they arrived two more of the victims:
1) Raymond Castro
2) Victor Aparilla
were dead as well. The other eight:
1) Rodelio Cabaring
2) Marvine Pinera
3) Alfie Sobison
4) Rey Soriano
5) Glenn Hernandez
6) Allan Barandanes
7) Brindo Buagan
8) Jermael Magno
were admitted and are recovering.
Of course Nano was targeted for its failure to pay "Revolutionary Taxes," a codeword for extortion. The NPA cited destruction of the environment, which given the NPA's lack of action against paying "customers" just makes the Communist guerillas look even sillier than they usually appear. They also cited the firms operation manger, Paul Magto, for his supposed failure to pay his labourers in a timely fashion.
On Monday, September 19th, 2011 however the NCMRC admitted that its guerillas had been operating on outdated intelligence that had the firm's basecamp housing an arsenal of automatic rifles and rifle grenades. During the attack the NPA captured a single 45 caliber pistol, an airsoft (fires plastic pellets) rifle and a chainsaw but was also accused of stealing a valuable watch and two cellphones as well. NCMRC says that it will be returning the phones and watch which it admits taking and also admits that there was P400 ($9) stuffed inside of a compartment of the airsoft piece. Why the confession? Because the NPA was forced to admit that its guerillas committed several grave errors in attacking unarmed labourers. It asked the families of the dead and wounded labourers to forgive its "errors" and to accrpt the NPA's "apologies."
Also worth noting, if just for the sheer stupidity it reflects, NCMRC claims that it was primarily targeting the company because Operations Supervisor Paul Magto, the man it initially accused of not paying his workers, would "indiscriminately" fire his pistol, "intimidating" local villagers. Right, because murdering three labourers with M16s makes villagers happy? The NPA hopes to right their stupendous wrong by offering the families of the dead and wounded labourers cash and medical assistance. Ironically, when the Government offers to do the same to rectify ITS mistakes the NPA spin meisters belittle the offer(s), saying that cash cannot make up for negligence and outright abuse. Ironic indeed.
On August 10th six young men from the municipality of Initao in Misamis Oriental Province travelled to the town of San Fernando in Bukidnon Province. As door to door salesmen of "banig," or sleeping mats, the men travelled quite a bit but when none had called home over the course of some days their families in Initao became increasingly worried, fearing that the men might have been abducted by one of the KFR, or Kidnap for Ransom organisations infesting Mindanao.
As the NCMRC was boohooing over that senseless carnage at Nano it also admitted that Front 88 had "arrested" the aforementioned missing men. The reason? According to NCMRC all six were "spies" for the AFP, or Armed Forces of the Philippines, or AFP. Although intelligence assets DO assume such covers they do as individuals or as teams of two men. Six men do not blend in easily and as such are never utilised. It seems that the NPA is beginning to grow paranoid once again. Several months ago the SMRC, or Southern Mindanao Regional Committee, abducted an ice cream vendor in Davao City's Paquibato District and likewise accused him of "spying." He was killed as is often the case with civilian assets. Ironically it was the forerunner of the NCMRC, the NMRC, or Nothern Mindanao Regional Committee that launched the first of the nationwide purges, the infamous Kampanyang Aho (Garlic Campaign) that ended up killing well over 1,000 innocent men, women, and even children who were deemed to be "spies." Sadly, most were NPA members who truly believed in their cause. Some things never change.
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