DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 24, 2013) – One government soldier was wounded in a clash with communist rebels who abducted 6 politicians running in village polls in the southern Philippines, an army spokesman said Friday.
Captain Alberto Caber said troops were searching for the hostages – Lito Andalaque, Balaba Andalaque, Reynaldo Piodos, Marvin Bantuasan, Gina Bantuasan and Pepe Subla – who were all seized in the village of Sabud in Agusan del Sur’s Loreto town.
“More than two dozen New People’s Army rebels were involved in the abductions and one of our soldiers whose group is pursuing the abductors was wounded in the clash.
The operation is going on to rescue the hostages,” Caber told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
He said the rebel NPA is harassing political candidates who are not paying so-called “campaign fees” and that rebels are also trying to influence the outcome of the October 28 elections.
Local town officials have organized a crisis management team to also deal with the abductions. Most of the hostages are local natives.
Army Lieutenant General Ricardo Rainier Cruz III, chief of the Eastern Mindanao Command, accused the rebel group of human rights violations and demanded the safe release of the hostages. “This is another gross violation of the international human rights law and we demand that they immediately release all the hostages,” he said.
The NPA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines which has been waging a secessionist war for many decades now.
Peace talks with different Philippine presidents have failed in the past and communist leaders are still demanding the freedom of all hundreds of its rebel commanders and political activists languishing in various prisons across the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
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