AFP to CPP: Disciplinary action for Masbate bombers not enough

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Thursday said it is not enough for the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) to just reprimand its members responsible for the landmine attack in Masbate City that killed a young athlete and his cousin.

At the Laging Handa public briefing, AFP spokesperson Major General Edgard Arevalo said the CPP should surrender their members involved in the bombing as the crime committed was very serious.

“Ang ginawa nila ay isang malinaw na krimen, tatlong batas ang kanilang nalabag, ‘yan ay naglalaan ng mabigat na kaparusahan, commensurate to the degree of the crime that they have committed,” he said.

(What they did is clearly a crime, violating three laws with corresponding severe punishment, commensurate to the degree of the crime that they have committed.)

Arevalo said the attack perpetrated by the New People’s Army violated the Revised Penal Code, the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, and the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity.

On Wednesday, CPP spokesperson Marco Valbuena said their higher and lower party committees are "fully capable" to take the action to correct the errors of the NPA unit behind the attack.

"Under direction of the Party's leadership, the incident is being fully assessed with the aim of avoiding such errors in the future and further strengthening the NPA in serving and defending the people," Valbuena said.

The attack left college football player Kieth Absalon, 21, and his cousin Nolven dead. —KBK, GMA News