DILG deplores NPA attack on soldiers, civilians doing volunteer work
By Chito Chavez
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) denounced on Wednesday, Dec. 15, the ambush of civilians and soldiers doing voluntary pre-emptive evacuation work in Carmen, Surigao del Sur amid the threat of tropical storm Odette.
Calling the incident as a “deplorable act against Filipinos in the middle of crisis”, DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said “the CPP-NPA-NDF’s height of insensitivity, callousness and opportunism knows no bounds.
Wala na talaga silang pinipiling tao, lugar, o sitwasyon para pumatay at maghasik ng terorismo. Patunay lang ito na sila ay kaaway ng bayan at walang malasakit sa mga mamamayan dahil kahit yung mga sundalo at sibilyan na assigned sa disaster-response ay tinambangan nila (They do not chose the people or situation to kill and do their terrorist acts. This only proves that they are the enemy of the state and do not care about the people because they even ambushed the soldiers and civilians assigned in disaster response duties),’’ Malaya said.
The DILG spokesperson added that it is unfortunate that government life-saving efforts in the middle of a natural disaster are hindered by the violence of the NPAs.
He noted that the ambush that led to the death of three civilians only showed how little regard the terrorist group has for the lives of ordinary Filipinos.
Malaya asked the terrorist group to put into premium the welfare of their fellow Filipinos in preparation for Typhoon “Odette”.
He said that the CPP-NPA-NDF must set aside their selfish intentions and propaganda, tap on to their nationalism, and deviate from killing innocents who are only doing their job to assist in the middle of the pandemic and the typhoon. (Chito A. Chavez)