There is no truth in the news spread by the Philippine National Police-R6 (PNP-R6) and 3RD Infantry Division of the Philippine Army (3ID-PA) that two “wanted New People’s Army insurgents” were “captured” in Valderama, Antique earlier this week.

The PNP has shamelessly arrested two senior citizens and presented them as “NPA insurgents”. The arrested senior citizens were Alfredo Alarcon, 67 years old, and Tobias Jurada, 64 years old. Alarcon was tagged as “NPA-Southern Front Committee sub-leader”.

To shed light, we are clarifying to the public that the two senior citizens are not members of the NPA. The police and military have bragged the arrest of the falsely accused senior citizens to spread misinformation. PNP-R6 spokesperson Joem Malong said that the two senior citizens were “hunted by police for a long time”. Cenon Pancito, 3ID-PA’s spokesperson, with his recycled remarks, said the arrest is “a big development” to their anti-insurgency campaign.

Both the military and police are inventing and peddling fake news to weaponize misinformation and sow public confusion. What we also suspect is that the arrest is another money-making scheme of corrupt police and military officials in the region.

Last March 16, 3ID-PA’s 61st infantry battalion commander Joel Batara claimed that their troops had clashes with the NPA in Calinog, Iloilo- a lie we have exposed.

Batara, Pancito and Malong’s obtuse narratives and incongruities do not only make them appear comical but indeed despicable liars. The three of them and their organizations have criminal liabilities over the arrest of innocent individuals and the spread of misinformation to the public.

We are cautioning the public to be critical and investigative towards information that are peddled by the reactionary government’s military and police.