New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas in Barangay Puray, Rodriguez, Rizal Province were conducting a medical mission when they were attacked by soldiers from the AFP’s Second Army Division, asserted Fidel Agcaoili, chairperson of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Negotiating Panel.
Agcaoili revealed this based on a ground report they got from friendly sources in the AFP. The “Encounter report from 80ID 2ID” stated that the AFP soldiers were not in the area but went there when they received a “tip” that NPA guerrillas were already in the village and were not in an offensive operation.
On March 28, a day before the NPA observed its 51st anniversary, 18 soldiers of the Philippine Army’s 2nd Infantry Division clashed with some 30 NPA guerillas. One soldier and at least one guerrilla were killed in the encounter, while two other soldiers were wounded, according to a report by the army.
Initial reports published by media from Army division commander Major General Arnulfo Burgos, Jr. relayed the incident that “locals informed the Army’s Community Support Program Team about the presence of the NPA gunmen and their alleged plan to attack the soldiers. To preempt the planned attack, the soldiers went on a community defense patrol and clashed with the insurgents at around 3 p.m.”
Burgos strongly condemned the NPA attack “which is a violation of their reciprocal declaration of ceasefire”.
Presidential Spokesperson also went as far as to say government soldiers were attacked.
“We strongly condemn in the strongest terms the NPA attack on our soldiers while the latter were doing community work in Barangay Puray, Rodriguez, Rizal in the face of a declaration of ceasefire on both sides and in the midst of an emergency health crisis,” Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement.
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) also condemned the ‘NPA attack.’
“In the midst of a worldwide pandemic, the CHR condemns the said attack, which ultimately caused the loss of lives from both the government and rebels’ side. Two soldiers were also said to have been wounded from the firefight,” said CHR Spokesperson Atty. Jacqueline Ann de Guia.
In an open letter to CHR Chair Chito Gascon on March 31, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Chief Information Officer Marco L. Valbuena said, “With due respect, we would like to take exception to CHR statement’s presumption that the clash was a result of an “attack” by the NPA unit in the area. The statement was based on published reports of the AFP.”
“In its own “Encounter Report,” the 80th IB itself, said it “conducted community defense patrol at vicinity So Malasya Uyungan, Brgy Puray, Rodriguez, Rizal” resulting in the armed encounter. It is clear from this report that the NPA unit was not on offensive mode, and that it was the said AFP unit that was conducting armed operations,” said Valbuena.
Valbuena said that while there are clearly two contradictory assertions about the March 28 Rizal armed encounter, the CHR statement merely took one side.
Valbuena in the letter also encouraged the CHR to look in to the military’s human rights violations in Puray as well as abuses in the implementation of the total lockdown in Luzon.
The NPA-Rizal said on March 30 that the ‘Army attack on NPA in Sitio Malasya’ proved that President Rodrigo Duterte’s ceasefire declaration is empty.
They said the army continued to conduct focused military operations since February “in the guise of Retooled Community Support Program (RCSPO) that involved harassment, threats, forced recruitment to CAFGU and force surrender.” The “militarist solution” of total lockdown to address the COVID-19 pandemic was also used to justify militarization of communities.
“The true motive behind these military operations is the continuation of the anti-people Wawa-Violago Dam project that encompasses the whole of Barangay Puray and its nearby villages as watershed areas. The guerilla unit said the 80th IBPA served as security to the meeting held for the Violago Dam project in February,” said NPA-Rizal.
The CPP Central Committee issued a unilateral declaration ordering all NPA units to cease and desist from launching offensives during the period effective March 26 to April 15, while remaining vigilant in the face of AFP offensives and maneuvers.
Duterte also declared a truce and ordered all government forces to cease their operations against communist rebels from March 19 to April 15 as Luzon was placed under total lockdown to address the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.
Continous fake news and lies coming from the AFP in the midst of a pandemic !!!