Bocap’s daughter found in army camp

By Aldwin Quitasol

MALIBCONG, Abra -- After long hours and days of searching for Regine Tadeo, the daughter of a councilman of a village here, her mother with elders of Barangay Mataragan reported that the 17-years old lass was being held by the 24th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army.

In an urgent alert posted in social media July 5, Jonalyn Tadeo and elders of Mataragan, Malibcong called for stop to military operations in Boliney, Abra for the communities to be able to search for Regine.

On July 2, the Cordillera police reported a firefight between members of the Philippine Army and fighters of the New People’s Army led by a certain Alya Payas at Sitio Tinalban, Barangay Kilong-olao, Boliney, Abra at around 3:30 p.m. of July 1, 2017.

According to the police, the soldiers captured a member of the NPA a certain Alyas Joana who sustained multiple gunshot wounds.

The police said that the captured NPA was one among the NPA members who raided the Malibcong MPS on March 12 and carted away assorted firearms while said MPS was undermanned.

She is now confined at the Abra Provincial Hospital.

Lt. Col. Isagani G. Nato, NOLCOM public information officer said Joana was captured by army troopers belonging to the 24th Infantry Brigade and 7th Infantry Division, after she sustained multiple gunshot wounds following the gun battle.

She was provided immediate medical care.

According to Nato, the NOLCOM forces initially encountered 20 NPA members at Sitio Tinalban, Barangay Kilong-Olao in Boliney around 3:30 p.m. of July 1, but the latter group dispersed after exchange of gun fire.

The arrested NPA amazon allegedly admitted that she was a member of the NPA under the Kilusang Larangang Gerilya North operating in Abra and remote areas of Kalinga and Mountain Province, Nato said.

Recovered from the NPA combatants were several firearms and subversive items such as three M16 rifles, two M14 rifles, one 203 grenade launcher, 15 backpacks with voluminous documents, two hand-held radios, eight cell phones, WIFI modem, medical paraphernalia, a binocular and other personal belongings, according to the NOLCOM report.

A day after the report of the said encounter, the family members of Regine and their relatives reported to the Abra Human Rights Movement they were informed by their neighbors that  afternoon of July 2, Regine was said to be among the captured NPAs.

According to her mother, Regine went missing after she was tagged by the 24th IBPA a member of the underground Kabataang Makabayan-Demokratiko a Tignay Dagiti Agtutubo ti Kordilyera (Democratic Movement of the Cordillera Youth or KM-DATAKO) on March.

The teenager was accused by the military as a supporter of the NPA said her mother.

According to the affidavit of Regine’s mother, she came to know that her child was said to be temporarily sheltered by the NPA.

She said that the NPA informed her that they will return her daughter to her as soon as they are assured of her safety.

The mother together with the help of the AHRM and the Cordillera Human Rights Alliance  Karapatan appealed to the authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Regine to her father  Rogelio Tadeo.

The search teams were composed of Malibcong elders, Abra Human Rights Movement, Kastan-Abra, Cordillera Human Rights Alliance and Cordillera Peoples’ Alliance.

They were about to see her at the military camp in Barangay Amti, Boliney at press time.