According to Nolcom, the NPA suspects "something sinister" as to why the hinterland barangay of Tucucan in Bontoc, the capital town, breeds the most number of local men enlisting in the military, police and the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU).
Nolcom chief Lt. Gen. Bonifacio Ramos said they have informed Tucucan residents about the supposed plan codenamed "Marco" of Simon Naogsan, tagged as the leader of the NPA’s Kilusang Larangan Gerilya, to disarm and kill soldiers and policemen who hail from the village.
Ramos said the "targets" were urged to be doubly vigilant, adding though that the military is confident of its skills, training and competence to foil such an NPA plot.
According to Ramos, a survey conducted by Naogsan’s men showed that out of the 147 barangays of Mt. Province, Tucucan has the most number of residents connected with the military, police and CAFGU.
Ramos said these recruits are actively taking part in counter-insurgency operations, serving "as guides due to their familiarity with the terrain and the inhabitants."
Ramos urged those who want to join the military, police or CAFGU not to be afraid of such NPA threats.
Instead, he said Naogsan and his men should be the ones scared because they are up against local military personnel, law enforcers and militiamen.
Naogsan is a former government engineer working for the Commission on Audit who joined the NPA in the early 1990s.
His son and namesake, Simon Jr., a former student activist who had joined the underground movement, too, was killed in an encounter with the military in Abra last month.
"Who else will they recruit to join the underground movement if their targets are working for the government?" Ramos said.
In 2003, rebels torched down a CAFGU detachment in Barangay Tucucan.
That same year, eight soldiers based at Fort Magsaysay in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija were killed in an NPA ambush in Tucucan where had brought the remains of a slain colleague.