BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
A ranking official of the Philippine Army has claimed a continuing existence of sexual exploitation of female combatants of the New People’s Army, as previously revealed by those who have surrendered, following the recovery of anti-pregnancy pills, among others, in a recent encounter in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental.
Col. Michael Samson, 303rd Infantry Brigade acting commander, said many former NPA amazons have shared their stories of being victims of sexual advances and harassments by their local leaders, an accusation vehemently denied by the NPA in Negros.
Samson said that several boxes of anti-pregnancy pills and some stubs of contraceptives were among the items recovered together with assorted high-powered guns at the encounter site during the March 23 gunbattle, where 10 NPA members died. “Many NPA amazons have surrendered and bravely came into the open because they could no longer stand such a hopeless situation, and became living testimonies to the sexual abuses that occur in their organization,” he added.*
