The activity organized by the Philippine Army 87th Infantry
Battalion (IB) based in Calbiga, Samar counters the 50th anniversary
celebration of the armed struggle of the Communist Party of the Philippines
(CPP) on Wednesday.
Lt. Col. Rommel Cabanayan, 87th IB commander, said placards
condemning the extremists were displayed. These were later burned by the
protesters to express their disgust with the anti-government movement.
“The gathering was to evade the public of getting into the trap of
the rebels who have been trying to entice them of good words. Also, it was
intended to encourage the radical members to go back in the arms of the
government and avail the government aid intended for them,” Cabanayan said in a
phone interview Thursday.
The town’s president of association of village chiefs Miguel
Cabornay and local police chief Senior Insp. Michael Ray Cañete were among the
resource speakers.
The Samar provinces have been the stronghold of armed rebels due
to its densely-forested mountainous areas, high poverty incidence, and issue of
widespread landlessness, according to a 2013 study of William Norman Holden of
the University of Calgary in Canada.
The NPA launched its first tactical operation in the country in
Calbiga, Samar in 1974, when its members ambushed an Army scout patrol and
seized a number of weapons.
In 1976, the NPA gained popular support among the inhabitants of
Samar following its campaign against cattle rustling gangs. (ERR/PNA)
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