PGMA's Remarks during a Visit to the Quezon Power Plant |
Brgy. Cagsiay 1, Mauban, Quezon (19 August 2002) |
| I CAME HERE TO SEE FOR MYSELF
THE SECURITY PREPARATIONS DONE BY THE MILITARY AND POLICE TO PROTECT OUR POWER PLANT HERE,
AND THE OUTLYING DISTRIBUTION LINES. AFTER BEING BRIEFED BY BOTH THE MANAGEMENT OF THE
PLANT AND THE MILITARY AND THE POLICE, I AM SATISFIED WITH THESE PREPARATIONS. AND I
COMMEND THE MANAGEMENT, OUR ARMED FORCES AND LAW ENFORCERS AND THE COMMUNITY FOR THEIR
SUSTAINED VIGILANCE. WE ARE DOING THIS IN VIEW OF FRESH THREATS FROM THE NEW PEOPLE'S ARMY
TO ATTACK OUR POWER FACILITIES. THIS IS A BAREFACED TERRORIST THREAT WHERE THE COMMUNISTS
ARE ONCE MORE SHOWING THEIR TRUE COLORS. LET ME REPEAT, THERE ARE COMMUNISTS AND
COMMUNISTS. THE COMMUNISTS WHO DO NOT HAVE ARMED ELEMENT -- WE RECOGNIZE THEM, WE DEBATE
WITH THEM, BUT WE DON'T RUN AFTER THEM. THE COMMUNISTS WITH THE ARMED COMPONENT ARE THE
ONES THAT ARE CONSIDERED THE ENEMIES OF THE STATE BECAUSE OF THEIR TERRORISTIC ACTS. THE CPP-NPA HAS ENGAGED IN TERRORIST ACTS AGAINST CIVILIAN TARGETS SUCH AS EXTORTION AND ARSON, THE DESTRUCTION OF PUBLIC UTILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE, COMMUNICATION AND POWER LINES, AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT FACILITIES, AND ASSASSINATION OF BOTH POLITICAL LEADERS AND ORDINARY INDIVIDUALS. THESE ARE ALL PART OF THE OVERALL AIM TO OVERTHROW THE DULY CONSTITUTED GOVERNMENT AND THE DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM AND ESTABLISH A DICTATORSHIP IN OUR COUNTRY. I AM INFORMED BY GENERAL TIANGCO, THE SOUTHERN LUZON COMMANDER, THAT PURSUANT TO THE HEIGHTENED SECURITY PATROLS IN THIS AREA, OUR TROOPS ENCOUNTERED A BAND OF NPAs IN PAGBILAO TWO DAYS AGO. THESE NPA WERE ATTEMPTING TO ATTACK THE PAGBILAO POWER PLANT. AND OUR TROOPS WERE VICTORIOUS. AND I AM GLAD TO KNOW THEREFORE THAT OUR SECURITY PLANS ARE NOT STATIC AND ARE AIMED TO ACTIVELY SEEK OUT TERRORISTS ACROSS A WIDER SWATHE OF OPERATIONS. THROUGH THIS PRO-ACTIVE STANCE, WE SHALL CONTINUE TO PREVENT FURTHER NPA DEPREDATIONS. THOSE WHO SOUGHT TO ATTACK THE PAGBILAO POWER PLANT LAST SATURDAY WERE REPELLED AND THE MILITARY NOW IS IN HOT PURSUIT AGAINST THEM. THEY FLED TO THE QUEZON RESERVATION, THE FOREST PARK IN THE MOUNTAINS OF PAGBILAO. THERE WAS ONE FATALITY ON THEIR SIDE, AND ALSO WE RECOVERED FIREARMS. THE ATTACK ON THE PAGBILAO PLANT WHICH WAS REPELLED PROMPTED ME TO LOOK AT THE SECURITY PREPARATIONS IN OTHER PLANTS LIKE THE PLANTS HERE IN MAUBAN. WHAT STRUCK ME ABOUT LAST SATURDAY'S ENCOUNTER IN PAGBILAO IS THAT IT RESULTED FROM INFORMATION PROVIDED BY CIVILIANS IN THE AREA. WE HAVE A GROWING NUMBER OF VOLUNTARY INFORMERS WHO WERE TELLING US WHERE THE ENEMIES LIE. I KNOW THE PEOPLE HERE HARBOR TERRORISM AS MUCH AS WE DO. THE PEOPLE HATE THE DISRUPTION OF THE TRANSPORT, COMMUNICATIONS AND POWER FACILITIES THAT DISRUPT THE CONDUCT OF BUSINESS AND LIVELIHOOD. HERE IN MAUBAN, WE ALSO HAVE AN NPA THREAT. CAGSIAY 1 WHICH IS WHERE THIS BARANGAY IS, IS CONSIDERED AN AREA THAT IS INFILTRATED BY THE NPA. SIX KILOMETERS AWAY IS CAGSIAY 2, WHICH IS AN AREA CONSIDERED AS INFLUENCED BY THE NPA, WHICH MEANS THE NPA HAS A FUNCTIONING ORGANIZATION. THAT IS WHY AFTER THE PAGBILAO ATTACK, TWO ATTEMPTED ATTACKS, SECRETARY REYES AND I DECIDED TO COME HERE TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS SECURE. AND I'M GLAD FROM OUR BRIEFING THAT THIS IS SECURE. I AM HERE TO TELL EVERYBODY THAT YOUR GOVERNMENT, THE ARMED FORCES AND THE POLICE ARE PREPARED TO PROTECT PUBLIC SAFETY AND SECURITY AT ALL TIMES. I AM ALSO HERE TO ENCOURAGE OUR COMMUNITIES TO GET TOGETHER WITH THE UNIFORMED SERVICES, TO WORK TOGETHER IN EFFECTIVE AND RESPONSIVE SECURITY PLANS THAT WILL PRECLUDE ACTS OF TERRORISM. TO ALL OUR LOCAL OFFICIALS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE. |