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[av_heading heading=’ Text messages link ‘Buang’ to RPA-ABB ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
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ILOILO City – Text messages from anonymous senders claimed suspected drug lord Richard “Buang” Prevendido was enjoying the protection of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army – Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB) in the mountains of Iloilo and neighboring provinces.
RPA-ABB, a splinter group of the New People’s Army (NPA), has forged peace with the national government in 2000 during the Estrada administration.
According to Superintendent Julius Balano, acting intelligence chief of the Police Regional Office 6, they needed to verify the text messages.
“We’re validating this raw information. Hindi natin pwede ibale-wala ang pumapasok sa atin,” said Balano in a telephone interview.
In June, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) claimed the NPA was coddling Prevendido for a fee.
The armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, however, denied this and accused the agency of making excuses for its failure to catch the suspected drug lord.
Then PDEA-6 deputy director Levi Ortiz said their information about Prevendido and the NPA came from anonymous text messages.
“May information rin na nakisalamuha siya sa mga Ati sa isang town sa Iloilo,” said Balano yesterday, while another tipster claimed Prevendido was hiding in beach or mountain resorts in far-flung towns.
The police official believed Prevendido has not left Iloilo.
“Hindi ‘yan lalayo dito kasi ito ang kanyang comfort zone,” said Balano.
Prevendido, a resident of Barangay Bakhaw, Mandurriao, Iloilo City, has a bounty of P1.1 million.
The NPA vowed to arrest Prevendido should they see him, according to Ka Julio Montana, spokesperson of the Coronacion Chiva “Waling-Waling” Command.
But should they manage to do so, the rebels won’t turn him over to the PDEA or police, said Montana.
The revolutionary movement has its own criminal justice system and Prevendido will be given “due process,” he stressed.
“We have never protected Prevendido and we don’t even know his whereabouts. We are also crusaders against illegal drugs,” said Montana.
At the start of the Duterte administration’s drug war in July last year, the rebels in Panay Island announced they were joining the campaign. They agreed with President Rodrigo Duterte that addictive drugs had “disastrous impact on individuals, families and society itself.”
The rebels, however, clarified it did not have “kangaroo courts” arbitrarily handing down death sentences to suspect drug traffickers.
“The description fits more the vigilante campaign against suspect drug dealers launched by the PNP (Philippine National Police) with its questionable results. Many comrades and leaders and followers of people’s organization had been victims of the state death squads. We abhor carelessly taking a life,” the NPA stressed./PN
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