The respondents in murder and frustrated murder complaints pending at the Kabankalan Regional Trial Court, identified as Rodrigo Medez, alias Salvo, Jimmy Teves, Jodito Montecino, Jeppy Romano, Eliseo Andres and Jack Sabanal, were apprehended simultaneously in Sitios Bito, Balatugan and Dawhan, all in Brgy. Buenavista, Himamaylan City, by troopers of the 2nd Negros Occidental Provincial Mobile Force Company and 62nd Infantry Battalion, with arrest warrants issued by Judge Rodney Magbanua.
Lt. Col. Egberto Dacoscos, 62IB commanding officer, who assisted the 2nd NOCPMFC troopers in serving the arrest warrants, yesterday said that the six arrested rebel suspects were linked to the deaths of two Army soldiers and the injuries of six others, as a result of an encounter with communist rebels in Sitio Bunsad, Brgy. Tan-awan, Kabankalan City in May this year.
Dacoscos tagged Medez as secretary of the local party branch of the Central Negros Front Yunit Militia, with Teves, Montecino, Romano, Sabanal and Andres as members.
The September 21 Movement immediately came to the rescue of the arrested persons it claimed to be farmers.
Felipe Gelle, secretary general of the September 21 Movement, yesterday said that they will check on the legal basis of the arrest of the farmers, including Teves, who is a pastor of the United Church of Christ of the Philippines.
Gelle claimed that the 62IB had threatened them with arrest based, on accusations that they are NPA members.
In the past months, a series of armed skirmishes between government forces and NPA rebels had taken place in the remote sitios of Brgy. Buenavista, Himamaylan City, that is located near Tayasan, Negros Oriental.
Gelle added that the arrest of the farmers is part of the Synchronized Enhanced Managing Police Operations 2 under PNP Oplan Sauron campaign.
Dacoscos maintained that the arrest of five rebels was made in accordance with existing laws, and that he also believes that their apprehension is a blow to the Central Negros Front of the Komiteng Rehiyonal-Negros.
“No one is above the law, and no one can escape justice”, he said, adding that, sooner or later NPA rebels will have to answer for their crimes, either on being apprehended or getting killed in encounters.
On the other hand, Gelle disclosed that Teves used to be the former vice chairperson of the September 21 Movement southern Negros, while Montecino used to be the chairperson of the Kauswagan sang Mangunguma sa Barangay Buenavista, a local chapter of the Kilusang Magbubukid sa Pilipinas.
He also said that the arrest of the farmers was based on a trumped-up charges of murder.
http://www.visayandailystar.com/2019/June/27/topstory6.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.