Eastern Mindanao Command (EMC) units are now tracking down
the New People's Army (NPA) bandits who abducted and killed Loreto Mayor Dario
Otaza and his son, Daryl, Monday.
This was disclosed by EMC chief Lt. Gen. Aurelio Baladad in
an interview Tuesday.
"Pursuit operations are now ongoing," he added.
Baladad also clarified that Otaza is not a supporter of the
EMC but only of the government.
"We would like to emphasize (that) Mayor Otaza is a
non-combatant, (he is a) civilian government official, so basically his killing
is already a violation of the principle of distinction, (of) International
Humanitarian Law, they should be separated, on whose a combatant or
non-combatant, even worse, (they also his son) who is even more of a civilian
that him," the EMC chief stressed.
Baladad said that they are looking at members of the NPA's
Guerilla Front 48 as suspects behind the Otazas' abduction and killing, adding
that they now have sketches of the 18 rebels who abducted the victims.
The bodies of the victims were found in Barangay Bitan-agan,
Butuan City
The two went missing 6: 50 p.m. after 18 NPA bandits,
disguising themselves as NBI agents, abducted the Otazas from their residence
in Barangay Baan, Butuan
City
The senior Otaza is the mayor of Loreto town, Agusan Del
Sur.
The senior Otaza was a member of NPA who surrendered after
realizing that the armed struggle is not the solution to the country’s problem.
As mayor and member of the Provincial Tribal Council in
Agusan Del Sur, he liberated his town from NPA exploitation and manipulation.
Otaza was successful in encouraging 246 NPA leaders and
members, majority of whom are Lumads, to surrender and return to their normal
and peaceful lives.
Under his leadership, development has started to set-in in
his town of Loreto
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=817230
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