Police release 11 nabbed during rebel encounter

From the Sun Star-Bacolod (Dec 17): Police release 11 nabbed during rebel encounter

ELEVEN of the 19 persons tagged earlier by the military as suspected rebels who were arrested at the encounter site in Isabela were released after they were found to have nothing to do with the encounter. Two Army soldiers were killed while four others were injured in said encounter that erupted between the suspected New People’s Army (NPA) and the military in sitio Mahopaho, Barangay San Agustin, Isabela Thursday morning last week.Based on the report of the Isabela police, two of the 11 civilians who were arrested were minors.

The encounter in Isabela claimed the lives of PFCs Dennis Acosta and Oliver Grecia. The injured soldiers were identified as First Lieutenant Shamon Pamittan, Sergeant Romeo Castellano, PFC Nesty Deniega and PFC Justino Esquibel, all assigned at the Alpha Company of the 11th Infantry Battalion. The four injured soldiers were conferred with Wounded Personnel Medal Saturday by Major General Jose Mabanta, 3rd Infantry Division commander, at the Riverside Medical Center.

Meanwhile, Karapatan-Negros secretary general, Fred Cana, claimed that Army soldiers committed human rights violations by arresting civilians they are supposed to protect. A 16-year-old, who was among the 11 who were released by the police and met with Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. during a dialog Saturday at Barangay San Agustin proper in Isabela, admitted that some of his arrested companions were seen in the company of NPA rebels. On the part of the military, Colonel Francisco Patrimonio, 302nd Infantry Brigade commander, clarified that the eight others will remain in jail, including the three who tested positive for gunpowder nitrates, which indicated that they had fired guns. The five others had also participated in the encounter, based on the accounts of soldiers who figured in the running gunbattle with them.

Patrimonio said the arrest of 19 individuals were made as they were suspected as rebels because of their presence at the encounter site, saying they only wanted to find out why they were at the area. Since the fleeing New People’s Army rebels can easily mingle with civilians, we have to check and verify their presence at the encounter site, he added. If you are innocent, then you are free to go, said Patrimonio, citing the release of the 11. If not, then charges will be filed against them, he added. The items recovered by soldiers from the encounter site were combat packs, caliber .45 pistol with ammunition, magazines of M14 and M16 assault rifles, subversive documents and a CPP-NPA flag which were also turned over by the Philippine Army to the police. Patrimonio said it will be the police to determine what charges to file against the eight suspected rebels who will be liable for the death and injuries of soldiers. The military believes that the rebels also suffered casualties, based on bloodstains discovered at the withdrawal routes of the rebels who were said to be members of the Larangan Gerilya I of the CPP-NPA.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/bacolod/local-news/2012/12/17/police-release-11-nabbed-during-rebel-encounter-258754