Albayalde backtracks, says NPA ‘sparrow unit’ still existing

From ruling out its existence, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Albayalde backpedaled from his earlier declaration and insisted on Monday that the NPA still has a special death squad unit.

Albayalde made the 360-degree turn less than a day after he said that the NPA's 'sparrow unit' is long gone in response to President Rodrigo Duterte's pronouncement that he wants to form a Duterte Death Squad to go up against the NPA special death squad unit.

The PNP chief clarified that the NPA 'sparrow unit' that he was referring to as long gone was the notorious hit squad of the defunct Alex Boncayao Brigade (ABB) led by Filemon Lagman, Arturo Tabara and Romulo Kintanar.

“It (ABB) was disbanded by the pro-[Jose Maria] Sison wing of the CPP/NPA/NDF in early 1990’s during its 2nd Rectification period. But since then, the pro-Sison wing also adopted its Sparrow-like operations against their perceived enemies. Over the past three years, there had been 136 hits on soldiers, policemen, rebel returnees, local officials, and tribal leaders by the CPP/NPA/NDF attributed to its Special Partisan Unit/Special Operations Group (SPU/SOG), based in the “red areas.” These hit squads are now popularly referred to as the Sparrows,” Albayalde said in a press conference.

“But they (SPU/SOG) are not based in urban areas like the former Sparrow unit. They only get out from the red area, normally rural area, to do special partisan operations e.g., liquidation, murder or assassination, as directed by the Regional Party Committee [of the National Democratic Front],” Albayalde added.

He then said there is a strong possibility that these special units of the NPA will stage more hits, considering the NPA's special units' attacks on two Army soldiers at the Las Navas public market in Northern Samar last November 27; the assassination of Philippine Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Jesus Zaavedra in Pio Duran, Albay; and the botched assassination in Catbalogan City of ex-Mayor Aran Boller of Matuginao, Samar.

“That is why this specialized capability of the CPP/NPA/NPA should be addressed with an equally-specialized counter measure to reduce the potential for further attacks on soft targets. There is also the likelihood that some misled guerrilla fronts under maverick and enterprising commanders may offer the services of the SPU/SOG for political assassinations,” Albayalde said.

“They are still trying to show that they are a force to reckon with, since a lot of their members have surrendered to the government. Just recently, 12 of them surrendered and these people are in possession of 21 high-powered firearms,” Albayalde added. —Llanesca T. Panti/KG, GMA News