Leftist rebels ask gov't to stop 'surveillance' activities in Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - Leftist rebels in the Philippines said today they will release their captives if the government would stop its "surveillance" activities in Mindanao.

The New People's Army (NPA) accused the Philippine government of using US-made drones to monitor the activities of its members in Compostela Valley province.

In a statement posted on its website, the NPA said the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources tapped Sky Eye UAV to pinpoint illegal logging hot spots in Davao Oriental, Compostela Valley, and Davao del Norte provinces.

"The NPA maintains that the anti-logging aerial reconnaissance is merely a pretext to intensify imperialist mining plunder and counter-revolutionary intelligence in Southern Mindanao," said Daniel Ibarra, spokesman of the NPA ComVal-Davao Gulf sub-region.

The group admitted that they seized four personnel from Sky Eye UAV and their driver who is employed by a car rental company. They were identified as Ken Wong, manager and team leader; Chrisandro Favela, Tim Sabino, and Nico Lasaca from Sky Eye and their driver Jonas Loredo.

Ibarra said one sky surfer drone and two multi-rotor drones, two laptops, and one GPS were confiscated from Sky Eye personnel.

Meanwhile, the Maco municipal government has formed a Crisis Management Committee to secure the release of the NPA's captives.