ILOILO City – Nine suspected communist rebels were killed, 17 more persons were arrested and several firearms were seized when joint forces of police and military carried out raids in remote villages in Tapaz, Capiz and Calinog, Iloilo, early morning yesterday.
The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Region 6 alleged that those killed were members of the New People’s Army (NPA) who fought back when operatives served search warrants for illegal possession of firearms, ammunition and explosives.
CRACKDOWNS
Police Lieutenant Colonel Gervacio Balmaceda, chief of the CIDG Regional Field Unit-6, said policemen of the Police Regional Office 6, backed by soldiers of the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, conducted the raids around 4 a.m.
Seven of the suspected NPAs were from Calinog – three from Barangay Masaroy and four from Barangay Garangan.
In Tapaz, those arrested were from barangays Roosevelt (four), Tacayan (two) and Lahug, Aglinab, Acuña, and Nayawan (one each).
The suspects who died were from barangays Lahug (three), Layawan (two) and Tacayan, Aglinab, Acuña, and Daan Sur (one each).
Operatives were still trying to determine the names of the slain suspects as of this writing.
Panay News was able to obtain names of those arrested in Barangay Garangan.
They were the following:
* Marilyn Chiva of Alibunan, Calinog
* Luisito Bautista Sr., chief tanod of Barangay Garangan (Recoveries: a .45-caliber pistol and two hand grenades
* Glen Legario (Recoveries: a .45-caliber pistol and two rifle grenades)
* Wilsie Chiva
* One managed to evade arrest. He was identified as Fortunato Legario.
Balmaceda said one police officer was injured after slipping.
LEGITIMATE OPERATIONS
According to Balmaceda, the coordinated operation involved 28 search warrants “based on information from civilians about the presence of personalities with high powered firearms and explosives.”
“Our operations were legitimate. We applied search warrants from the court. We have witnesses who testified presented to court that the suspects were indeed possessing unlicensed firearms,” the CIDG-6 chief said.
He pointed out that, “Hindi kami pwedeng mag-plant [ng evidence] kasi may nag-testify at inilahad kung anong armas ang nasa bahay nila.”
Balmaceda cannot yet disclose the name of the judge who issued the search warrants but some included those issued by branches of the Manila Regional Trial Court.
“This is a regular law enforcement activity against loose firearms,” he reiterated.
‘SAME MODUS’
The party-list group Bayan Muna decried the killing and arrest of members of what they believed indigenous people’s group.
In a statement, Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate said the operation was “the same modus operandi used by state forces in Negros Oriental” on Dec. 27, 2018 when now Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Debold Sinas was Central Visayas-PNP chief.
Zarate said those killed and arrested in Tapaz and Calinog were known leaders and members of the community who were red-tagged and accused of being communist rebel supporters.
He identified one of those those killed as Roy Giganto, former Tumanduk chair while the organization’s current chair, Marevic Aguirre, was reported missing./PN
