ILOILO City – The neutralization of the New People’s Army’s (NPA) taxation group in Barangay Atabay, San Jose, Antique on Wednesday was a big blow to the rebels’ fund-raising activities, according to the Philippine Army. The Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6), on the other hand, is bracing for the insurgents’ retaliatory attacks.
According to Colonel Benedict Arevalo, commander of the 301st Infantry Brigade, the group was targeting local businessmen for extortion these past three weeks.
“Those who died were high-ranking officials and in charge of finance. Their death would certainly leave a big dent on the local NPA organization,” said Arevalo.
The Philippine Army would help the police track down the other rebels who managed to escape, he added.
According to Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao, PRO-6 director, he created a special team to hunt down the others.
The PRO-6 dismissed claims that what happened in Barangay Atabay past midnight on Aug. 15 was a deliberate massacre of unarmed civilians. The rebels put up resistance when policemen and soldiers tried to serve an arrest warrant so a gunfight ensued, it stressed.
The casualties were Jason Talibo of Barangay Indayon, Igbaras, Iloilo; Jason Sanchez of Barangay Igtuble, Tubungan, Iloilo; Liezel Badiola of Nabas, Aklan; Karen Ceralvo, 41, of Kalibo, Aklan; Felix Salditos, 60, of Ilog, Negros Occidental; Peter Mesinas (not Rene Yap as previously reported), 60, of Barangay Poblacion, Leganes, Iloilo; and Eldy Labinghisa.
Talibo was one of the two persons named in the arrest warrant for frustrated murder. The other was Joven “Ka Lex” Ceralvo who managed to escape with an undetermined number of companions, said Bulalacao.
“We have launched a hot pursuit operation. We appeal to the community to help us because this person is a criminal,” said the police director.
Bulalacao acknowledged the possibility of rebel reprisals.
“The instruction to all municipal police chiefs, including city and provincial police directors, is to be alert. Do not leave the police stations unmanned. Do not relax. Dapat alerto palagi ang mga pulis natin. Ayaw ko ng tulog na pulis, especially sa mga areas na rebel-infested,” said Bulalacao.
In Iloilo province, the PRO-6 identified 15 police stations vulnerable to rebel attacks. These are in the towns of San Joaquin, Guimbal, Miag-ao, Tubungan, Igbaras, Alimodian, Leon, Calinog, Maasin, Bingawan, Badiangan, San Enrique, San Rafael, and Lemery, and the component city of Passi.
According to the PRO-6, Sanchez was the assistant finance officer of the NPA’s Komiteng Rehiyon Panay’s taxation group while Badiola was a “cultural staff.”
It also said Karen Ceralvo was an “educational functional staff” while Labinghisa was an intelligence officer.
Extortion letters, a sub-machinegun among other firearms, explosives, mobile phones, laptops, tablet computers, automated teller machine cards and cash (P34,601) were recovered from the abandoned church where the gunfight ensued, said Bulalacao./PN
