ARMY’S 4th Infantry Division and Del Monte Philippines Inc. (DMPI) are now preparing to file arson charges against the New People’s Army (NPA) rebels, who have been tagged behind the burning of 3 civilian trucks and a bus on Oct. 6, military officials said.
Military even said one of the suspects was captured in a hot pursuit operation conducted by the Army’s 58th Infantry Battalion in the hinterlands of Barangay Bulahan, Claveria, Thursday.
“Our soldiers captured one of the NPA suspects, two days after they burned down the vehicles,” said 4ID spokesman Major Rodulfo Cordero.
Cordero said the captured suspect was identified as a certain “Alias James.”
In a 58IB statement, Cordero said “James,” 19, was one of the rebels who set ablaze several vehicles owned by Del Monte Philippines in Claveria town.
Soldiers also seized an anti-personnel mine and a .38-caliber pistol following the encounter.
James worked for a unit of the NPA’s North Central Mindanao Regional Committee, and was recruited when he was only 17 years old, according to Cordero.
He is a resident of Barangay Farmbugas, Claveria, Cordero said.
Cordero said the military already identified several NPA rebels in connection with the incident as the 4ID is now assisting the DMPI in filing a criminal case of Arson.
Also a violations of R.A. 9851 also known as An Act Defining And Penalizing Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide And Other Crimes Against Humanity, Against the suspects Alias James will be filed against them, said Cordero.
“We are beefing up the pieces of evidence based on statements from the captured suspect,” said Cordero.
He said the rebels who were involved in the attack operate under Sentro de Gravidad Edot, Sub-Regional Committee 1, North Central Mindanao Regional Committee (NCMRC).
Other suspects according to Cordero were Ronald Sacal alias Tonton, Commander of SDG Edot; Manuelito Satur alias Mosong, Secretary of SRC1 and Dionisio Micabalo, Secretary of NCMRC and their cohorts.
58IB commander Lt. Colonel Ricky Canatoy said the pursuing government troops figured in a 15 minutes encounter with the NPA unit who burned the equipment.
Canatoy said the enemy withdrew towards different directions, as alias James, one withdrawing NPA member, was captured by the troops.
Canatoy said Alias James revealed that they burned the vehicles following an order from Dionisio Micabalo alias Muling, Secretary of NCMRC.
He added that Alias James disclosed that because the company did not give-in to their (extortion) demand, as the burning happened.
“NPA’s resources are now depleting which can hardly sustain their forces causing hunger and demoralization among their ranks,” said Canatoy as he quoted Alias James.
Meanwhile, 4ID commander Maj. General Andres C Centino, said that the terrorists NPAs are now desperately attacking civilians to threaten them for not giving in to their extortion demands.
“We are strengthening our coordination with business firms so that this incident will not happen again,” said Centino.
We need to work together to stop the extortion of the NPA and to protect their businesses from future attacks, according to Centino. (Ben Balce)
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