PNP News Releases 2006

ACTIVISTS' SLAYS IS MORE THAN JUST A CPP/NPA PURGING

Two recent incidents of slain activists and militants in Quezon City and Surigao del Sur bolstered findings of the deep involvement of the local communist movement in the murder of its own people, and raises suspicions of a bigger plan by the CPP/NPA to escalate hostilities.

PNP Chief, Director General Oscar C Calderon, citing case records culled by the PNP Task Force USIG revealed that ten (10) cases had been filed in court against CPP/NPA personalities believed directly involved in some murders of partylist and cause-oriented group members.

Another twelve (12) cases are under investigation with evidence also pointing to the CPP/NPA as behind the murders.

"This fact, along with the findings of the Commission on Human Rights that the CPP/NPA is behind 36% of their recorded cases of slain activists and militants, is an indication that the underground movement is into something much bigger than just a continuing purging of its own ranks but also putting the blame on government and inviting international attention and pressure in accordance with CPP/NPA OPLAN BUSHFIRE," Calderon said.

Task Force USIG is keeping tab of a total of 109 cases of slain militants and activists since 2001.

As of this week, the PNP has filed 31 cases in court in connection with the murder cases, and CPP/NPA personalities were named respondents in ten of these cases.

Most prominent among the cases slain activists and militants attributed to the local communist movement were that of Sotero Llamas in Albay, spouses Elena Mendiola and Ricardo Balauag in Isabela, Annaliza Abanador in Bataan, spouses Jemias and Marilou Tinambacan in Oroquieta City, peasant leader Hermie Marqueza in Surigao del Sur, and labor lawyer Rodolfo Paglinawan in Quezon City.

In most of the murders attributed to the CPP/NPA, the PNP noted a pattern that the victims were "punished" either for their "counter-revolutionary" activities, or for mishandling of party funds.