TUGUEGARAO CITY, Philippines – An official of the 54th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army said the communist guerrilla members are taking advantage of the government’s peace process and ceasefire agreement.
Lt. Colonel Rolando Mangigil, commander of the army battalion stationed at Barangay Bagumbayan in Dupax del Sur, told the participants in the recent Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) meeting that the New Peoples’ Army has been recruiting locals amid the ceasefire being implement in both of the rebels and the Philippine government troops.
“With the ceasefire agreement, the rebels who only frequented the villages near the tri-boundary of the province have also pushed their recruitment efforts in Nueva Vizcaya’s central towns,” Mangigil said.
Mangigil, however, clarified that no recruits have been confirmed so far.
“It is good that as of this moment, no new members were recruited yet. We are encouraging our local officials to be more vigilant and report these activities to us,” Mangigil said. TNF
