Army claims foiling alleged NPA plan to burn Lianga IP schools

The 3rd Special Forces “Arrowhead” Battalion on Saturday morning thwarted alleged plans by the communist New People's Army to set fire to newly constructed indigenous people schools in Surigao del Sur's Lianga town, the battalion's Civil-Military Operations Officer First Lieutenant Krisjuper Andreo Punsalan said in a statement.

The newly constructed schools were supposed to replace the Tribal Filipino Program in Surigao del Sur (TRIFPSS) in Barangay Diatagon, which had alleged links to communist rebels.

Meanwhile, local government units (LGUs) and municipal disaster risk management offices had coordinated with the IP leaders and barangay officials on the delivery of basic and social services for the temporary evacuation of conflict-affected communities in the sitios of Barangay Diatagon.

The Lianga town government also provided relief goods through Diatagon's tribal chieftain.

“While other [End Local Communist Armed Conflict task force] clusters focus on the development and delivery of basic services in Andap Valley, we allow the military to continuously perform their mandated duty to quell Communist NPA Terrorists through combat operations,” said Lianga Indigenous People Mandatory Representative Hawudon Jumar Bucales.

“The IP tribal council and the government will provide services to those who choose the path to peace and we will not tolerate the CNTs who don’t want to lay down their illegal firearms and continue to terrorize innocent IPs.”

The military meanwhile assured the IP community that they were not the target or objective of any military operation but the CNTs or the terrorist armed groups.

Security forces also vowed to exercise the rules of engagement and respect international humanitarian law in performing their duties. — DVM, GMA News