A New People’s Army (NPA)–Mindoro (Lucio de Guzman Command) ambush killed two police officers traversing Barangay Bagong Silang, Victoria, Oriental Mindoro in the afternoon of July 13. According to the people’s army, this operation responds to the Mindoreños’ call to hold the AFP-PNP accountable for its terrorist campaign in Central Oriental Mindoro towns.
The presence of the military and police in Victoria provides security for large-scale, destructive, and anti-people projects. These include seven quarrying sites in Victoria that the local government has approved. A large-scale mining operation is also set to enter Victoria as the Mineral Production Sharing Agreement of the Mindoro Nickel Project is revived.
These projects will devastate thousands of hectares of land that farmers and indigenous Mangyan communities depend on for their livelihoods. Police and military typically deploy forces in advance of destructive projects to suppress the people’s efforts to defend their land and natural resources.
