NPA Attack in Balingasag

NPA (New People’s Army) rebells have attacked a military outpost in Balingasag, Misamis Oriental. Fivepeople were killed and five others were wounded when communist rebels attacked a military outpost in Balingasag, Misamis Oriental Sunday dawn, the New People’s Army (NPA) confirmed Monday.

The attack happened in Sitio Lantad, Barangay Kibanban in Balingasag while the community was still asleep. It caught soldiers and Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu) men by surprise, as they only managed to duck for cover. The rebels withdrew and grabbed about 16 high-powered firearms from the military’s patrol base. 50 to 60 armed rebels tied some of the Cafgu men after they torched the outpost, which quickly burned since it was made of light materials.

The full article is here 

[Editor’s comment]: I know this army outpost very well. It is on the national highway between Balingoan (Gateway to Camiguin island) and Cagayan de Oro City. Last time I passed by had been last week, when we went shopping in Cagayan de Oro. The outpost was composed of some plywood/bamboo huts and a road obstacle, that made cars and trucks slow down when passing the observation barrack.

The big question is: what does the NPA really want?

The New People’s Army (NPA) (Filipino: Bagong Hukbong Bayan) is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). It was formed on March 29, 1969. The Maoist NPA conducts its armed guerrilla struggle based on the strategical line of protracted ‘people’s war’.

The NPA collects from business owners in areas where it operates. This includes mining and logging operations – especially foreign owned enterprises that provides employment to the people with the belief that crippling the country’s economy would give favor for a revolution to occur. The Communist Party of the Philippines refers to the NPA as “the tax enforcement agency of the people’s revolutionary government”.