Lt Col. Jones Otida, commander of the Army’s 27th Infantry Battalion, said the communist rebels simultaneously harassed a militia patrol base and troops securing a road project in Barangay Lamfugon around 8 p.m, Monday. He noted that two groups of 10 individuals each from the NPA Guerrilla Front 73 simultaneously fired at the government troops in the area. The campaign period for senatorial candidates and party-list groups already kicked off on February 12. Otida said the NPA rebels collect permit-to-campaign fees amounting to P50,000 for municipal council candidates, P50,000 to P100,000 for municipal mayors and P500,000 for senatorial bets. ADVERTISEMENTOtida said the military would do its best to secure communities from communist rebels.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer February 19, 2019 06:43 UTC