DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental — The president of the League of Municipalities in Negros Oriental has sought the help of the Philippine National Police and the Army over reported sightings of armed men believed to be New People’s Army fighters in four towns in the province’s north.
Ayungon Mayor Edsel Enardecido said during the LMP meeting in Dumaguete City Wednesday that the NPA was expanding its activities and base in the Manjuyod, Bindoy, Ayungon, and Tayasan, which are adjacent to each other and which he said constitute the rebels’ expansion area.
In fact, the four local government units have agreed to hold a joint peace and order council meeting soon to discuss the problem, Enardecido said.
Senior Superintendent Edwin Portento, provincial police director, acknowledged they have received reports of such sightings but did not elaborate.
Nevertheless, he said he had gone to the mountains of Bindoy about three weeks ago to validate reports about the expansion of the NPA in the town.
He and Enardecido also admitted receiving reports of people evacuating for fear of the rebels.
Portento expressed optimism that the arrival of the 15th Infantry Battalion and the presence of the other Army units will be sufficient to address the insurgency problem.
