By Jong Cadion
ZAMBOANGA
CITY (February 22, 2018) - Three councilmen of the Kilusang Rebolusyonaryong
Barangay (KRB) withdrew their support from the communist movement at 3pm Wednesday (February 21), military official said.
Lieutenant
Colonel Harold M Cabunoc, the Commanding Officer of the 33rd Infantry
(Makabayan) Battalion, said that the councilmen were deceived by the communist
movement in joining the 'village level elections' in 2017.
"They
were made to believe that it was a regular election of village leaders. They
swore their oath of duty before unfamiliar people who visited the
village," said Cabunoc.
Western
Mindanao Command (WestMinCom) Cpt Jo-Ann D. Petinglay said that the three KRB
councilmen, Tikay Ambag, Wilnard Basalo, and Crisanto Colano have pledged to
withdraw their support from the Platoon Arabo and KALUHAMIN, a communist
affiliated organization which organized Sitio Datal Bonglangon as a communist
mass base with its own armed group called Platoon Cosmod.
Wilnard Basalo,
45, said that the rest of the KRB councilmen were hauled by KALUHAMIN to
Koronadal City to join the protest rallies.
"We
will not support the NPA anymore. We just want to harvest our corn as soon as
we get back to our village," he said.
Cpt
Petinglay further said that the Joint Task Force Central through its 33IB has
facilitated the return of the internally displaced people of Sitio Datal Bonglangon
back to their village. At least 20 families have remained in Barangay Sto. Niño
here while about 20 families have joined KALUHAMIN in conducting protests in
Koronadal City.
Tarcilla Danyan,
28, the daughter of the slain tribal leader, Datu Victor, has requested the
Army to protect their community.
"I
humbly request that an Army detachment must protect us against the NPA. We want
to live peacefully," she said.
"We
would also like to request the local government to help us. Until today, we
don't have water system and electricity. Our road access is so difficult,"
she added.
Cpt
Petinglay stresses that from January 1 to February 18, 2018, fifty-five
communist terrorists, three of whom are members of the Western Mindanao
Regional Party Committee and 52 of whom are members of Guerrilla Front 73,
returned to the fold of the law.
“I am very
pleased to welcome them back to the government side and accord them the
opportunity to live a life far from what they have been facing before,” said
Joint Task Force Central Commander, Major General Arnel Dela Vega.
For this
year alone, the troops recovered three firearms of the WMRPC and 21 firearms of
GF 73, cpt. Petinglay added.
“The Joint
Task Force Central, in collaboration with the local government units, continues
to sustain the pressure on the communist terrorists operating in Central
Mindanao,” said Lieutenant General Carlito G. Galvez, Jr., commander of the
Western Mindanao Command.
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