By Ben Serrano
Correspondent
THE Misamis Oriental capitol flew the flag at half mast on Monday as an expression of bereavement over the brutal killing of Mayor Dario Otaza of Loreto, Agusan del Sur, and his son Daryl.
The New People’s Army (NPA) has owned responsibility for the shooting death of the two Otazas last week.
The mayor and his son were snatched from their home in the evening of Oct. 19 in Butuan City by armed men who posed as agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). Their bulletiddled bodies were found in in the bushes some 15 kilometers from their home two days later.
The capitol said the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) issued a memorandum, directing all local governments to fly the flag at half mast this week.
The NPA has claimed it was behind the shooting deaths, and asserted that it was “revolutionary justice.” It alleged that that Mayor Otaza was involved in landgrabbing, extrajudicial killings, logging, mining, and alleged recycling of rebel surrenderers.
In an Oct. 24 press statement, the NPA said rebels under its Southern Mindanao Regional Command were responsible for the killings. It said Otaza’s son Daryl was also killed because of his alleged links to the drug trade in Loreto town.
The NPA said the Otazas had maintained armed paramilitary groups like the Bagani and Magahat Forces that have allegedly been sowing terror among indigenes in Agusan del Sur.
The NPA also blamed the Otazas for crimes allegedly committed by a militia groups known as Bukakang Pang-gaan and Taptap that are allegedly backed by the Armed Forces. It alleged that the militia groupa were responsible for multiple murder, multiple frustrated murder, and robbery against lumad families in Barangay Datu Davao, Loreto, Agusan del Sur on Sept. 9, 2014.
Capt. Joe Patrick Martinez, Camp Evangelista spokesman, said the NPA was spreading lies against the Otazas through one of its spokesmen, Rigoberto Sanchez.
Martinez said the allegations made by the NPA were fabricated, baseless and was a desperate move to discredit a mayor known for his peace advocacy.
He said, “Human rights is fundamental to everyone regardless of belief, religion or stature in life. It is inherent in every human being. It cannot be waived.”
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