Communications lack helps fan rumors: Gov’t denies NPA attacks in Leyte

CEBU, Philippines - Reports of New People’s Army attacks in Tacloban and other parts of Leyte and Samar are not true.

This was announced in a press briefing by Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas, as well as military officials.

Residents in Tacloban City received reports yesterday that NPA rebels have allegedly penetrated the city to rob houses and even kill people.

Text messages from people who claimed to have encountered the rebels spread like wildfire. One text message alleged that rebels attacked Barangay Abucay near the San Juanico Bridge, as well as the command post.

Ester Cabrera, 55, a resident of Barangay 6-A in Sto. Niño Extension, Tacloban City, who owns the only store that opened for business yesterday, suddenly cried while this writer and fellow Cebu repor-ters were buying from her store.

“Natatakot ako kasi may mga NPA na daw na nandito, nagna-nakaw at pumapatay ng tao,” she said in Waray.

Cabrera said she fears for her and her companions in the house – her daughter and a cousin – because they are all females.

The three managed to survive the storm surge by climbing up the roof. “Muntik na nga talaga kaming mamatay,” she narrated.

Cabrera said she heard the rumors about the rebels from her neighbors, who allegedly received test messages regarding the matter.

This reporter also received a text message from family members telling her not to pass Carigara town when going to Ormoc City because rebels allegedly went down from the mountains and ambushed a vehicle bound for Tacloban City yesterday morning.

Roxas, however, dismissed such information as just rumors.

“Nirespondehan iyan lahat ng ating military, but there was no report on these. Gaya nga ng sabi ninyo, rumors lang iyon,” he said.

Roxas said they even received rumors that the current headquarters of the military at the Leyte Sports Center was also allegedly attacked by rebels, as well as the warehouse of the National Food Authority here.

There was also allegedly an encounter between the military and the NPA rebels at the San Juanico Bridge yesterday morning, which Roxas likewise dismissed to be untrue.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson, Lt. Col. Leo Madroñal, said the military acted on the reports of NPA attacks and found these to be untrue, such as the rumored firefight at the San Juanico Bridge.

He said a team of military personnel led by Capt. Ian Ampaso responded to the area after receiving the report but found no traces of a gunfight there.

 â€œThese are negative reports. But we acted on the reports,” he said.

Military personnel were deployed to the mountains of Leyte yesterday to also check on suspected rebels.

Roxas, however, admitted that the rumors disrupted local government and Department of Health efforts in digging mass graves in Abucay yesterday. The digging will continue today and those in charge will be escorted by the military and the police. Outposts are already stationed in the area, too, he added.

“Anyhow, alerto naman ang ating AFP at ang PNP at naka-deploy sila sa mga strategic locations,” said Roxas.

Roxas said even reports on looting have already stopped, adding that looting incidents were reported the first two days after the typhoon but these have stopped on the third day.

He said that there are over a thousand military personnel and nearly a thousand police personnel deployed all over Leyte, to add to the existing 1,700 law enforcers already in place in Tacloban City. -/QSB (FREEMAN)