ILOILO City – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has tagged communist rebels as the suspect in the killing of a village councilman and a Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairman in Barangay Mayang, Tubungan, Iloilo.
The victims were 38-year-old Harold Tablazon – kagawad of Barangay Ago, Tubungan and 24-year-old Glen Bunda was the SK chairman of Barangay Tagpuan, Tubungan.
Their bodies with multiple gunshot wounds were found along the road at around 6:30 p.m.
According to Major Cenon Pancito III, spokesperson of the AFP’s 3rd Infantry Division (3ID), Tablazon was a former rebel. He surrendered to Lieutenant Colonel Joel Benedict Batara of 1st Infantry Battalion in the town of Miag-ao on May 12 this year through the help of the local government unit.
Pancito said before Tablazon had surrendered, he was a member of New People’s Army’s (NPA) Sibat Platoon, Southern Front Committee, Kometing Rehiyon-Panay.
This report was also confirmed by Tablazon’s sister Catherine that her brother joined to the group sometime in 2008 and after a month he left the rebel group.
“Its usual to the rebel group na kapag nagsurrender ang kanilang kasama pinapatay nila tapos iparatang sa government forces,” said Pancito.
The NPA’s NapoleonTumagtang Command through their spokesperson Gabriela Tubongbanua denied that Tablazon was a rebel, but he was an activist.
Tubingbanua tagged the Iloilo Police Provincial Office who killed the two victims, to revenge on the death of one of their personnel Police Master Sergeant Arnel Paurillo who shot dead by the rebels on June 15 in Barangay Tiniento Benito, Tubungan.
On the other hand, Batara revealed that after Tablazon surrendered to him, the victim received death threats, but was not specified who threatened him.
Tablazon revealed some vital information to Batara.
Meanwhile, Police Lieutenant Jose Romel Samson, Tubungan police chief, said that they have not yet identified the perpetrators behind the victims death adding that they have no witnesses that could reveal who were the suspects.
The police recovered 32 empty shells of a .9-mm pistol and six empty shells of a .45-caliber pistol from the crime scene.
“Based on the empty shells recovered, at least two persons killed the victims. Two different firearms were used,” Samson said./PN
