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BY ADRIAN STEWART CO
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Tuesday, March 7, 2017
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MANILA – A suspected member of a splinter rebel group was one of the suspects in the murder of Akeanon doctor Dreyfuss B. Perlas in Lanao del Norte.
But Agapito Tamparong, or Ka Ruben, of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army (RPA) was killed in a Philippine Army operation on Saturday.
Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa – Mindanao (RPM-M), an allied organization, believes Tamparong may have been a fall guy.
Government troops shot and killed Tamparong, who resisted arrest and tried to lob a grenade at police officers on March 4 in Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte, according to reports from the Army.
The Army identified Tamparong as a hired killer and one of the suspects in the murder of Perlas.
A native of Batan, Aklan, Perlas was a municipal health officer in Sapad, Lanao del Norte, where he also served as volunteer physician under the Department of Health’s Doctors to the Barrio program.
On the evening of March 1 in Kapatagan, an unidentified assailant shot him on the back.
Tamparong had no connection to Perlas’ murder, according to the RPM-M.
“His (Tamparong) attempt to escape [was] impossible considering the number of the enemies with high-caliber arms,” it said in a statement. “He was alone and only armed with a cellular phone because he was in the place to visit a family friend and the masses.”
“Comrade Ruben had never been in any gun-for-hire and other un-revolutionary activities,” the group added. “He was an active political and military cadre of the RPA since it split from the [Communist Party of the Philippines, or CPP] in the early 90s.”
The RPA and the RPM ng Pilipinas, or RPMP, were breakaway groups from the CPP. Its Mindanao command further split from the RPMP.
“Comrade Ruben was one of those vocal in supporting the current Duterte government’s campaign on illegal drugs but not the Tokhang method,” said the RPM-M. “He strongly believed the widespread drug problem in the country is a symptom of intensive poverty and social inequity affecting the vast majority of our people.”
NBI PROBE
Justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to look into the killing of Perlas.
In a department order addressed to NBI director Dante Gierran, Aguirre told the agents the investigation will be used for a case buildup against any potential suspects.
Perlas’ death sparked condemnation from several quarters.
The barrio doctor is expected to receive a posthumous award from the Health department declaring him a “Hero on National Health.”
PROGRAM TO CONTINUE
In spite of Perlas’ death, the Health department will continue the Doctors to the Barrio program.
Some 498 Filipino doctors are currently under Doctors to the Barrio, said Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial, who visited Perlas’ wake on Saturday.
“We continue to recruit doctors who will replace Dr. Perlas in Lanao del Norte,” she said. “Health services were already in place there, and we are thankful to Dr. Perlas.”
She also told the Perlas family that the Health department is giving the slain doctor a posthumous recognition.
“[Perlas] is considered a ‘people’s hero’ not only in Lanao del Norte but in the Department of Health,” said Ubial. “He dedicated his life serving the community.” (With Jun Aguirre/PN)
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