Blame-worthy

Return to the negotiating table and talk peace, the Communists and their remaining sympathizers ask the Duterte administration. Then the cadres in the field stage yet another attack like the one they pulled off in Lupon, Davao Oriental last Tuesday, Valentine’s Day.

That day, a group of about 300 New People’s Army rebels put up a roadblock and rounded up 200 civilians, who were asked to alight from their vehicles traversing the highway in Lupon. According to the military, the rebels took the civilians to a nearby chapel, where they were given a “lecture” on the NPA’s grievances against the government.

The rebels released the civilians unharmed, but by then the military had already been alerted and a pursuit operation was launched. A two-hour battle ensued, during which the military said it killed seven rebels before the NPAs retreated to the hinterlands.

If the rebels had not released their civilian captives before the military arrived, things would surely have turned out much bloodier. And the near-miss in Davao Oriental happens a lot these days in the countryside, now that both sides have stopped negotiating.

Click on above image to continue reading Jojo Robles' full article for the Manila Standard.