A former rebel has alleged that Negros Island is being used as a training ground for new recruits of the New People’s Army (NPA), including individuals from Metro Manila and foreign nationals.
Noel Legaspi, president of Buklod Kapayapaan Federation Inc. (BKFI), made the claim during a FAQCheck press conference, according to a report released by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Thursday, Oct. 29.
Legaspi claimed that remaining members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) were recruiting individuals from outside Negros to rebuild their ranks amid declining community support.
He cited the April 19 encounter in Toboso, Negros Occidental, involving three individuals from Metro Manila and two Americans as an indication of recruitment activities extending beyond the island.
However, the report did not provide independent evidence establishing that Negros is being used as a training ground or that the individuals cited were recruited for such activities.
Meanwhile, prosecutor Flosemer Chris Gonzales, spokesperson of the Joint Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, said authorities were reviewing affidavits executed by former rebels since 2019 in connection with alleged killings of civilians accused of being government informants.
Gonzales said the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, police, and intelligence authorities were examining the statements to identify possible perpetrators, locate witnesses, and revisit unresolved cases.
He claimed that more than 500 individuals in Negros could potentially provide information about alleged NPA activities, including former rebels and residents affected by intimidation.
Authorities were also examining possible terrorism-financing violations involving individuals or groups suspected of providing support to the communist insurgency, Gonzales said.
He added that the Commission on Human Rights had begun investigating some civilian killings, while efforts were underway to bring the allegations to international human rights bodies.
Legaspi, who was identified as a former Communist Party official, also claimed that the insurgent movement’s recruitment efforts continued despite setbacks and declining public support.*
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