PNP, Army monitoring at least 3 'armed groups' in Negros Oriental

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 31): PNP, Army monitoring at least 3 'armed groups' in Negros Oriental

At least three identified suspected armed groups are under close surveillance and monitoring by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), specifically the Philippine Army, as the nation girds up for the mid-term polls on May 13 this year.

Supt. Alet Virtucio, acting PNP provincial director, disclosed in a briefing that these groups have been “neutralized”, nevertheless they have to be under tight scrutiny as they could be utilized as “private armed groups” (PAGs) for the upcoming elections.

The perceived armed groups in the watch list of the PNP and the AFP were identified as the Tanasan-Libron group (a suspected criminal gang operating in the southern part of the province), Dumas-og group (also believed to be a criminal gang based in the north), and the Desperado group (reportedly working off the central part of Negros Oriental), said Virtucio.

Eight of the 15 suspected members of the Tanasan-Libron group, who the police have identified as suspects in a series of various crimes in southern Negros Oriental, have been arrested and neutralized. These include the group’s alleged leaders, Jasper Tanasan and Pacito Libron.

As to the Dumas-og group, its suspected leader, Sanny Bacolod, was killed last November in Canlaon City in an ambush by unidentified armed men, while three of its members have already been arrested on separate occasions for a variety of crimes. Four other suspected members of the group identified by the PNP appear to still be operating in Canlaon City and nearby areas to include Guihulngan City.

The third group, Desperado, is allegedly being led by Inting Mallari, son of Rey Mallari, a leader of the Revolutionary Proletariat Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB), a breakaway group of the New People’s Army, the PNP report showed. The group is included in the watch list following reports some remnants of the RPA-ABB allegedly served as bodyguards to candidates during previous elections. The group is allegedly responsible for the shooting to death of a lawyer in Tanjay City late last year although no case has yet been filed against the suspects due to some snags, Virtucio said.

According to Supt. Virtucio, there is also a possibility that political candidates might engage the services of armed individuals or groups from Mindanao, Cebu and Iloilo for the elections. The PNP has identified at least 21 barangays in the province as under Category I in the watch list as potential areas for intense political rivalry and 58 other barangays under Category II due to the presence of the NPA in these areas, said Virtucio.

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