Army claims NPA executed militiaman in Valencia city

COMMUNIST rebels allegedly killed a member of a local militia in front of his common-law wife in Bukidnon over the weekend, the military said yesterday.

The Army’s 403rd Infantry Brigade alleged that the New People’s Army (NPA)  executed Pablo Omblero, a member of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu) in Barangay Batangan, Valencia City, on Sunday.

Omblero was said to be on a break from his duty at an Army patrol base in Barangay Lumbayao, Valencia, when the attack was carried out.

Quoting a statement from Omblero’s partner Elizabeth dela Torre, the military said a group of armed men barged into their home and took her common law husband before the killing.

“There were seven of them who entered our house. They hogtied my husband and brought us to Batangan. I pleaded with them not to kill my husband, but they shot him twice, even if he has no means to fight them. They did it in front of me,” dela Torre was quoted as saying by the military.

None of the military claims, including the quotation attributed to dela Torre, could be independently validated at presstime.

Brig. Gen. Edgardo de Leon, 403rd IB commander, said Oblero was considered a captive when he was forcibly taken by the NPA from his home.

He said that under the International Humanitarian Law, a captive is not a combatant, thus, he has the right to life and must be treated humanely.

“The NPA should have respected his rights enshrined by the IHL as he can no longer be considered combatant because he was already captured, disarmed, and therefore has no capacity to fight the armed NPA,” de Leon said.

De Leon said they will be recommending to the city government of Valencia to create a fact-finding committee on IHL to investigate the shooting.

“We also ask the Commission on Human Rights and IHL watchdog Karapatan to join the investigation of this NPA-perpetrated IHL violation,” he said. (Jigger J. Jerusalem)