Communist militants on Sunday said they captured a Philippine soldier and declared him a prisoner of war in Mindanao, a spokesman for the New People's Army said. Aris Francisco said insurgents captured Sergeant Jeric Bucio Curay at a checkpoint in Compostela Valley's Laak town on April 4. Curay, a member of the 72nd Infantry Battalion, was on a motorcycle when he was captured.Francisco, whose group operates in the provinces of Compostela Valley, Davao and Agusan, said Curay is currently being interrogated to determine his involvement in "counterrevolutionary and anti-people" activities. He said,"Consistent with its practice of lenient treatment towards POWs, the NPA custodial force ensures the safety and security of POW Curay as he undergoes an investigation for his involvement in counterrevolutionary and anti-people activities in Laak."
Francisco said the soldier's arrest coincided with the NPA's renewed campaign against the 72nd Infantry Battalion and the 60th Infantry Battalion whom he accused of protecting big logging firms "which have wiped out the forests of Davao del Norte, Compostela Valley and Agusan del Sur provinces."
He said the wanton destruction of remaining forest and unchecked commercial logging in the provinces have harmed indigenous Lumad tribesmen and peasants and have made them more vulnerable to environmental disasters and climate change.