Rizal clash fatalities part of NPA hit squad – Año

MANILA, Philippines — Five New People’s Army (NPA) rebels killed in an encounter with government troopers in Baras, Rizal on Dec. 17 are members of an assassination squad of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said yesterday.

Año said this confirmed CPP founding chairman Jose Maria Sison’s supposed order to deploy special partisan units to assassinate government officials and civilians.

Año said he is among the government officials included in the NPA’s hit list.

He challenged lawmakers  with alleged links to communist rebels as well as the Commission on Human Rights to condemn NPA death squads to prove that they are not members or fronts for the CPP.

He said the deployment of NPA liquidation squads aims to sow a “reign of terror” in the cities.

Año assured the public that the police and military are on top of the situation
and would foil the rebels’ plans to sow terror.

”We will crush these urban terrorist cells before they can begin their reign of terror,” he said.

The military had earlier given assurance that soldiers are ready to protect the people from such terroristic attacks.