NEW People’s Army rebels burned a church of “Born Again” Christians and four houses in Opol town, Misamis Oriental on Thursday morning, reportedly due to the refusal of residents to supply them with food.
Capt. Rene Belmonte, civil military operations officer of the Army’s 403rd Brigade, said no one was killed or injured in the atrocity perpetrated by about 10 rebels from Guerilla Front 12.
Belmonte said the rebels swooped down on Barangay Limonda at around 3:30 a.m. and burned the church and nearby houses made of light materials. He said the rebels told the occupants to get out before setting the structures on fire.
Days before the incident, Belmonte said the rebels went to the barangay and asked residents to produce food items but the villagers refused. “This enraged the NPAs who immediately set ablaze the church and houses,” he said.
Quoting one of the residents, Belmonte said: “They were cheering and laughing while burning. They even cheered Mabuhay ang NPA (Long Live the NPA) on their way out of the village.”
Belmonte said troops have been deployed to conduct pursuit operations against the perpetrators, led by one alias Decoy.
403rd Brigade commander Col. Ferdinand Barandon said the attack was a clear violation of the International Humanitarian Law.
“This only showed that these NPAs are not respecting the rights of the civilians that live peacefully in far-flung areas, which is contrary to their claim that they are fighting for the people,” said Barandon.
