Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Antique police on alert vs NPA this holiday season

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 17, 2019): Antique police on alert vs NPA this holiday season (By Annabel Consuelo Petinglay)



BURNED HEAVY EQUIPMENT. One of the three units of heavy equipment partially burned by suspected NPAs in Barangay Luyang, Sibalom, Antique on November 15, 2019. Lt. Col. Norby Escobar, Antique Provincial Police Office Deputy Director for Operations, said police personnel in Antique are on full alert from December 15 to January 5, 2020 to thwart any planned disruption to the peace and order situation of the province this holiday season. (Photo courtesy of Sibalom municipal police)

SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique -- The Antique Provincial Police Office (APPO) is preparing for any possible harassment that might be carried out by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-New People’s Army (NPA) Terrorists (CNTs) to disrupt the Christmas celebration.

APPO Deputy Director for Operations, Lt. Col. Norby Escobar, said on Tuesday that Philippine National Police officer-in-charge, Lt. Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa, has placed the police personnel nationwide under full alert status from December 15 to January 5 to secure the holiday season as well as deal with any possible disruption by communist terrorists of the peace and order situation in their areas of responsibility.

“We are right now in full alert status in anticipation of harassment of the CNTs,” Escobar told the media in an interview.


He said the Antique police personnel will not let down their guard because of the presence of CNTs in the province.

Escobar also said that on December 13, elements of the Regional Intelligence Unit 6, Provincial Intelligence Team, APPO Provincial Intelligence Section, Sebaste Municipal Police Station, Antique Provincial Mobile Force Company, and 61st Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, arrested Helen Maquirang Agustin, also known as "Helen Doe" or "Ka Marilou", a former assistant medical officer of the Northern Front Committee of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Barangay Poblacion, Sebaste.

“Agustin was arrested by virtue of two warrants of arrest for the crimes committed while she was still an active member of the NPA,” Escobar said.

The warrants of arrest are for the double murder with criminal case number 2083-S issued by Judge George Valente dated April 17, 1990 of the 5th Municipal Circuit Trial Court and a crime of murder with criminal case number C-099 issued by Judge Niovady Marin dated September 29, 1993 of the Regional Trial Court 6th Judicial Region Branch 14 of Culasi, Antique.

Escobar said that Agustin is the wife of Ramy Agustin, also known as "Ka Bal" or "Romeo Agustin", the chief medical officer of their organization.

Agustin is now detained at the Culasi Bureau of Jail Management and Penology with no recommendation for bail.

The arrest of Agustin also came after the NPA was reported to have partially burned three heavy equipment used in a PHP2-million road construction in Barangay Luyang, Sibalom, Antique last November 15 for failure of the contractor to give in to their extortion activities.

Seven members of the CNTs were also killed on August 15, 2018 in Barangay Atabay, San Jose de Buenavista, Antique during their encounter with the police and army.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1088993

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.