PNP Regional / Provincial News

July

Provincial News, Tuesday, July 29, 2008

11 people die as two passenger buses collide in Camarines Sur

LEGAZPI CITY, July 29 (PNA) -- At least 11 people died and 29 others were injured when two passenger buses collided at dawn Tuesday along the Maharlika Highway in Pamplona town in Camarines Sur, the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Bicol said. Police report said the mishap took place at about 3 a.m. Tuesday at a long stretch of Maharlika Highway at barangay San Ramon in Pamplona town, some 30 kilometers from Naga City.

The report said the bus collision involved a Executive Carrier bus (PWB 356) from Manila bound to this city and a Silver Star bus (TYK 273) bound for Metro Manila from Samar, Eastern Visayas. The police said the head on collision killed nine passengers on the spot while two others passenger were declared dead at the Bicol Medical Center (BMC) in Naga City.

Police identified the casualties from the Silver Star bus as Eric Mahillo of Tayabas, Quezon; Jenny Carter of Makati City; Dominador Carreon of Antipolo City; Ricardo Pasaan of Cavite City and Godofredo Garcia. The four dead passengers from the Executive Carrier are yet to be identified.

Danilo Ebloy from Abuyog, Leyte and Dennis Salcedo died upon reaching the BMC. The 29 other passengers are now being treated at the BMC. BMC doctors said some of the passengers are in critical condition.

Police investigators are investigating the accident. (PNA)
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Provincial News, Friday, July 04, 2008

Armed men hold-up NFA rolling store in Sorsogon

SORSOGON CITY, July 3 (PNA)-- Armed men on Wednesday held-up a rolling store of the National Food Authority (NFA) distributing cheap government rice in Magallanes, Sorsogon.

The suspects carted away some P40,000 and valuables from the NFA personnel of the rolling store.

NFA Sorsogon provincial manager Cesar Barcelona, however, said on Thursday the incident will not stop the food agency from fielding rolling stores across the province to continuously serve impoverished families that cannot afford the prevailing prices of commercial rice.

In fact, Barcelona said they will field additional rolling stores going in the barangays, particularly those in remote areas of the province to make government rice more accessible to poor families. At present, the NFA here has 10 rolling stores.

The NFA rolling stores sell at P18.25 per kilo the ordinary rice variety and P25 per kilo the premium variety imported from Thailand.

Police report said that the rolling store hold-up took place in Barangay Pili, Magallanes while the NFA crew on board a passenger jeepney was negotiating the national highway on their way back to the agency's office here at about 1:20 p.m.

Magallanes is a remote coastal town, about 40 kilometers northwest of this provincial capital, and is considered a New People's Army (NPA)-infested territory.

The report said the NFA rolling store had just distributed 20 sacks of rice at the town proper, about five kilometers from the scene of the hold-up, when flagged down in Sitio Manapas of the village by the two suspects armed with short firearms.

Sorsogon Philippine National Police (PNP) provincial director Senior Supt. Henry Rañola said they have identified the suspects and were just awaiting the warrant for their arrest. (PNA)
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MAY

Provincial News, Tuesday, May 29, 2008

Police Senior Supt. Theodore Sindac, Masbate provincial police director, said that at around 5:15 a.m. Tuesday around 30 NPA rebels attacked and blasted the Globe cell site at barangay Paguihaman of said town.

Armed with assault rifles and homemade bomb, the NPAs blasted the cell site's entrance gate and blew up the generator room, causing temporary disruption to the company’s service operation.

The explosion partially damage the concrete fence, entrance steel gate and generator set, the report said.

The communist rebels took the .38 caliber hand gun of the security guard on duty. No casualties were reported.

The attackers hurriedly left the area and fled towards the Uson-Dimasalang town boundaries.

Police and military reports showed that some 10 Globe cell sites were either bombed or set on fire by the communist rebels across the region.

Police report said these incidents may be attributed to Globe’s failure to give in to the rebels extortion demands.

Joint police and military elements are currently hunting down the NPA rebels in their various hideouts. (PNA)
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Provincial News, Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Set up SWAT units in Bicol, Razon says

LEGAZPI CITY, May 12 (PNA) -- National Police Chief Avelino Razon over the weekend directed the Bicol Philippine National Police (PNP) to form an elite police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit to carry out anti-crime and terrorism drive in the Bicol peninsula.

Razon issued the directive to Chief Supt. Paterno Bangui the newly installed Bicol PNP director.

He said the Bicol SWAT unit will handle anti-criminality and terrorism drive in the region’s urbanized cities and towns.

The creation of the SWAT unit was in response to a call by City Mayor Noel Rosal urging the PNP Chief to deploy an elite police crack team following reports of robbery, kidnapping and other high crimes taking place in some parts of Bicol.

At a dialogue with members of the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) last Friday at Camp Simeon Ola here, Rosal said he was asking for the special police team in the city where there are economic activities and where the government regional center is located and also the seat of commerce where big malls, banks and other commercial establishments are found.

Rosal said “the region is still recovering from the devastation brought by two super typhoons that hit us two years ago, economic development activity has started to improve, but we don’t want investors and tourist to have a second thought because of fear of criminal elements roaming around our city.”

Razon assured Rosal that a SWAT unit will be set up at the Bicol PNP headquarters.

He said as soon as the SWAT unit will be formed, they will undergo specialized training and be provided with the latest state of the art weapons.

At the dialogue, Razon announced that the P10-billion PNP modernization program will be implemented starting this year and spread over in five years time.

He said the fund will be used to buy more police vehicles, firearms, ammunitions, and in recruitment and training of more policemen.

Razon said the PNP had recently purchase 540 units police patrol vehicles, which will be distributed to various police units in the country.

The PNP chief commended the PPOC for its strong coordinative work between the local chief executives, police and the military concerning peace and order and internal security operations. (PNA)
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Provincial News, Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Sorsogon PNP enhances interview and interrogation skills of investigators
By Danny O. Calleja

SORSOGON CITY, May 6 (PNA)-- The provincial office of the Philippine National Police (PNP) here has sent dozens of police investigators from all its units across Sorsogon province to a workshop-seminar aimed at enhancing their investigation skills towards more crime solving efficiency.

Participated in by at least 40 police officers assigned with the investigation sections of the provincial PNP headquarters at Camp Salvador Escudero Sr. here and all the 15 municipal police stations in the province, the on-going workshop-seminar that offers a crash course on interview and interrogation will last for five days starting last Monday at a private venue within the city.

Provincial PNP director Senior Supt. Henry Rañola said the facilitators of the seminar-workshop are experts on the subject matters came from Camp Crame, the national police headquarters.

The course includes new and effective techniques in interviewing complainants and witnesses to crimes and other unlawful acts required for the preparations of affidavits and complaint sheets necessary for the filing of appropriate charges in courts, Rañola said.

It also includes proper interrogation techniques and handling of suspects applying due process and interventions provided under new laws and policies that are protective of the rights of suspected law offenders, he said.

Proper evaluation and appreciation of statements and evidence would also be taken up to provide investigators guidelines toward correct judgment over these matters, Rañola said.

Interview and interrogation are indeed broad subject matters insofar as criminal investigations are concerned as it requires talent, skill and good decision making on the part of the investigators, he said.

This seminar-workshop is necessary because its inputs tackle not only the basics but also the secrets of proper interviewing and interrogation of all parties involved in any particular crime, conflict or law violations, the police provincial director explained.

"We also expect this affair to equip our investigators with the proper attitude towards their tasks so that their efficiency in crime solving and conflict management is maximized. Investigation is a tough job as a good investigator should act as a prosecutor and a judge at the same time," he said.

Poor conduct of interview and improper interrogation by police investigators on a given case oftentimes result in failure of the criminal justice system, miscarriage of justice and furtherance of conflicts among members of the community, Rañola added. (PNA)

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Provincial News, Tuesday, May 06, 2008

High ranking police officer killed in ambush

LEGAZPI CITY, May 5 (PNA)-- Suspected communist gunmen killed on Monday a high ranking police officer in an early morning ambush staged in an upland village here three kilometers away from the regional headquarters of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Police Supt. Narciso Guarin died instantly from multiple gunshot wounds he sustained in the head and body, Chief Insp. Rolando Esguerra, the city police chief said.

Guarin was on board his self-driven sedan car heading for his office at Camp Gen. Simeon Ola, the regional PNP headquarters when ambushed by at least five suspects armed with high-caliber assault rifles.

The incident took place at about 6:30 a.m. some 50 meters from the victim's residence in barangay Estanza, here, Esguerra said.

A member of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) Class 1989, Guarin, 45 was assigned as deputy chief of the PNP Regional Human Resource Development Division during his death. He was former chief of the city police station.

Quoting witnesses, Esguerra said two of the five suspects who we

re on board a motorcycle fired the first salvo of gunfire from an armalite rifle on the unsuspecting victim.

Slumped dying on the steering wheel, the other three suspects approached Guarin's car and fired at him on the head at close range to make sure he was dead, witnesses said according to Esguerra.

The suspects carted away Guarin's cal.45 service firearm in fleeing on board motorcycles toward the hilly portion of the area and police and military operatives were promptly dispatched to track them down, he said.

"Guarin would be well-remembered here because of his outstanding achievements as a police officer. During his reign as chief of police of the city about two years ago, he made the Legazpi City police office one of the Most Outstanding Police Stations nationwide," Esguerra added.

Guarin was a widower and survived by his two daughters aged 19 and 10 and a 13-year old son.

A house help of the Guarin said the victim spent the whole day of Sunday with his children at a city mall and on Monday morning before leaving the house towards his death, he compelled his youngest daughter to give him 10 kisses which she readily complied with.(PNA)

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APRIL

Provincial News, Wednesday, April 30, 2008

3 suspected NPA hit men nabbed in Albay

LEGAZPI CITY, April 29 (PNA) – Three suspected hit men of the New People’s Army (NPA) were arrested in Sto. Domingo town on Monday, police said.

Supt. Eliciar Bron, spokesman of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Bicol, said civilians in the area tipped about the presence of the suspects extorting money from business firms.

Arrested were Allan Serrano, 28, Ferdinand Nolasco, 29, and Edward Amaro, 22.

Police confiscated from the suspects one .45 caliber pistol and one .357 caliber Magnum revolver.

The suspects were on board a motorcycle when they were intercepted at the checkpoint. (PNA)

Provincial News, Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Murder and rape cases rising in Bicol

LEGAZPI CITY, Apr. 29 (PNA) - Murder and rape incidences in the Bicol region are on the rise this year, prompting authorities to look for ways to curb heinous crimes.

Reports from the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) showed that 80 murder cases and 67 rape cases were reported during the first three months of this year, representing 27 percent (murder) and 22 percent (rape) of the total cases under index crimes committed during the period.

Police Supt. Arnold Albis, Philippine National Police (PNP) regional operation division chief, said that aside from murder and rape, cases of physical injuries followed with 59 cases, robbery with 41; and theft with 28 cases each.

Topping the list in murder cases is Camarines Sur with 23; followed by Albay with 19 cases; Sorsogon with 18; Masbate with 11; Camarines Norte with six and Catanduanes with three cases.

Albis said of the murder incidence reported, majority were insurgency-related killings.

For rape, Albay tops the list with 23 cases; followed by Masbate with 13 cases; Sorsogon with nine cases; Catanduanes with eight cases; while Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte have seven cases each.

Records indicate that majority of the cases were incestuous committed by the victims' close relatives.

Albay Governor Joey Sarte Salceda said the alarming crime situation calls for an aggressive law enforcement program that would curb the rising incidences of murder and rape taking place specifically in remote villages of the region.

Salceda, expressing dismay, immediately created a task force to study the rising number of rape cases and draw up measures to address this social problem.

"It is the moral duty of the state to address this problem using state resources," Salceda said.

At the meeting, the council members learned that aside from Albay, most of the rape victims in Bicol were minors.

Salceda said "this is a hidden social cost of OFW employment which could wipe out its benefits." (PNA)

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MARCH

Provincial News

PNP allays fear over reported human organ hunters
By Danny O. Calleja

SORSOGON CITY, March 10 (PNA) -- The local police on Monday allayed the fears of parents in the province over warnings regarding alleged Taiwanese nationals on board a van abducting children and collecting their vital organs.

The warnings have been going around since last week through text messages.

One such message says the white and blue van with license plate number UMM 507 was sighted last week in Tagkawayan, Quezon heading towards the Bicol region.

It added that the origin of the text message was the mayor of the same municipality.

Unconfirmed reports said a child was abducted from Polangui, Albay while in Magallanes, Sorsogon, a young boy with severed eyes was found dead at a cemetery last week.

Sorsogon Philippine National Police (PNP) provincial director Senior Supt.Henry Rañola said these reports remained unconfirmed until this morning so it should not create panic among parents.

Still, Rañola said, the entire Sorsogon police force has been placed on watch for the van or any suspicious looking Taiwanese.

The public, on the other hand, is also urged to stay on alert and to immediately report to authorities any sighting of these alleged human organ collectors, he said.

"So far, we have not monitored in the province any sighting of the subjects of the text message nor received official report regarding their alleged criminal activity. Instead of panicking, parents should be extra watchful over their children and the entire community should be vigilant," Rañola stressed. (PNA)

SORSOGON CITY, March 7 (PNA) -- Even in his wildest imagination, a middle-aged lowly tricycle driver here never toyed with an idea of getting into the circle of the famed and famous.

But suddenly, Alfredo Mejorada, 45, of barangay Tugos of the West District of this city was drawn into the center of popularity and admiration for his honesty and concern for the wellbeing of others.

During the celebration of the 17th anniversary of the Philippine National Police (PNP) at Camp Salvador Escudero Sr., its provincial headquarters here, Mejorada was accorded a plaque of citation in recognition by the entire police regional organization in Bicol of his honesty.

"We have given him the citation despite his magnanimous resistance to it because we wanted Mejorada to serve as a role model among tricycle drivers in the locality, businessmen, public officials, policemen and the entire members of the community so that he becomes subject of emulation," Sorsogon PNP provincial director Senior Supt. Henry Rañola said.

Bicol acting regional PNP director Senior Supt. Roberto Bondoc who personally handed down the plaque to Mejorada along with several police personnel and civilian awardees who have performed well and contributed significant accomplishments during the year said he was "terribly impressed" of the honest tricycle driver.

"He is a rare breed of a tricycle driver knowing fully well that the sector he belongs, generally speaking, lives in a hand-to-mouth lifestyle," Bondoc said.

In the wake of those developments, the city legislative council early this week passed a resolution bestowing Mejorada the fame, admiration and honor for his personal integrity, that according to its author, city vice-mayor Edmundo Atutubo was "a trait that is already endangered among Sorsogueños in particular and Filipinos in general".

"Even among our politicians that we look up highly being leaders of our towns, cities, provinces and nation, this individual characteristic that Mejorada possesses, sad to say, is seldom, if no longer expected from," Atutubo said.

City mayor Leovic Dioneda agreed with Atutubo and said "the city government will honor Mejorada in accordance with his good deed and give him all the commendations we could afford to give"

Mejorada would serve as the city's icon of honesty and good deed representing the transport sector that usually plays the role of being frontliner of local tourism that the city government is promoting, Dioneda said.

He is not a moneyed man but this lowly tricycle driver declined to accept a token of cash for his honesty so, to reciprocate his goodness, he will enjoy a lifetime exemption from paying the yearly dues being collected by the city government from tricycle operators to legitimate their operations, the city mayor said.

Besides, Dioneda said Mejorada will be issued a "humility plate" for his tricycle that would bear the markings "Honest Driver 2008".

Mejorada's unwanted popularity came last February 19 when he returned about P80,000 cash contained in a clutch bag left at his tricycle by an unidentified passenger.

"It looked like an ordinary piece of cloth so I did not give much attention to it until I reached home and curiously took a serious look at it. I opened its zipper and found a thick wad of money in it. My heart pumped very fast due to nervousness on seeing the money. I was sure it was left by one of my passengers whom I did not know," Mojorada, a native of Castilla, Sorsogon was quoted as saying.

He said he was not used to handling large amount of money and he almost panicked on what to do with it, knowing that it belongs to somebody else. "To ease my tension, I promptly consulted my elder brother, Roger and right then and there, we decided to bring the matter to the office of our barangay chairman."

The village chieftain, Roger Abear accompanied the two to the nearest police station and turned over the clutch bag containing the money whose owner was yet to be identified.

At the police station, the officer on duty took out the contents of the bag and counted it. The money amounted to over P79,000.

A copy of a bank withdrawal slip that was also found inside the bag led them to the person to whom the money belonged - a policeman identified as SPO3 Nicanor Nocom, supply officer of the PNP Sorsogon provincial office.

Communications ran fast and shortly afterwards, Nocom arrived at the police station and in tears of joy, hugged Mejorada as he expressed gratitude for the return of the money.

"I cannot give you any reward out of this money as I myself do not own this, but rest assured your honesty and good conduct will never be forgotten," Nocom told Mejorada.

Nocom said, he had just withdrawn the money from the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) branch at the heart of the city when he took Mejorada's tricycle to the PNP provincial office.

"I never hoped to find the money back as I did not even have an idea on the identity of the tricycle driver. I tried to look around for it until I lost hope, knowing well that seldom do we find honest tricycle drivers in the city," Nocom said.

That money, he said, belongs to his office to be used for the procurement of supplies for all the municipal police stations across the province.

"Had it not been returned, perhaps I would be placed under investigations, face suspension or even dismissal from service for infidelity in custody of a PNP property," he said.

Mejorada said that money in his possession will not allow him to sleep well. "I may need money for my family but not other people's money".(PNA).

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FEBRUARY

Provincial News, Wednesday, February 13, 2008

AFP, PNP ink pact to intensify anti-insurgency campaign in Bicol
By Leonard D. Acosta

LEGAZPI CITY, Feb. 12, (PNA) - The military and police signed a covenant on Tuesday, intensifying the fight against the communist insurgents in Bicol.

Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Sodusta, commanding general of the Army’s 9th Infantry Division, said the memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Army will define the roles and coordinative policies as well as procedures in combating insurgency problems across the region.

The MOA was in compliance with Executive Orders 110 and 546 wherein a joint AFP-PNP regional internal security system was created aimed at suppressing the four-decade insurgency problem in the country, specifically in Bicol region.

Under the covenant, the Army’s 9th Infantry Division will continue to discharge its primary responsibility as the lead role in undertaking internal security operation (ISO) while the PNP regional command shall actively support the 9th ID in the joint task force Bicol (JTF Bicol).

The PNP through the inter-agency legal assistance group (IALAG) shall facilitate the filing of appropriate charges against the New People’s Army (NPA) personalities captured and apprehended by the military’s operating units.

Deputy Director General German Doria, PNP directorate for human resource, said the covenant will also enhance the peace effort campaign of the government in Bicol.

“In the fight against criminality and terrorism, there is a need for partnership between the military and the police for the attainment of peace in the countryside,” Doria said.

Doria arrived here on Monday as representative of PNP Chief Avelino Razon during the 17th PNP Day celebration at Camp Gen. Simeon Ola here.

In an interview, Sodusta said the AFP in Bicol is recruiting at least 2,000 militiamen to augment the regular combatant soldiers here.

Aside from militiamen, another 250 regular soldiers will be recruited this year in Bicol while more than 1,000 armaments were delivered in the region last week to arm the new recruits.

“Our campaign against the New People’s Army is in the right track. Our troops has dismantled two guerilla fronts in Sorsogon and Camarines Sur and we’re still hoping to dismantle three more guerilla fronts in Bicol this year,” Sodusta said. (PNA)

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Provincial News, Friday, February 01, 2008

Rebel killed in clash with policemen in Legazpi City

LEGAZPI CITY, Feb. 1, (PNA) -- Policemen killed a communist rebel in a clash on Thursday with a band of New People’s Army (NPA) guerillas in a remote village here, reports reaching Camp Gen. Simeon Ola said on Friday.

Police Supt. Eliciar Bron, Philippine National Police (PNP) Bicol spokesman, said police are still determining the identity of the slain communist rebel, who was with 30 NPA rebels who engaged government forces in a running gun battle in Sitio Macarabat, Barangay Maslog, this city around 9:00 a.m. Thursday.

According to Bron, the combined elements of the police and Army soldiers were conducting internal security operation at the said village when they were fired upon by the rebels that led to a brief gunfight, where an unidentified NPA rebel was killed.

Bron said the band of communist rebels was believed to be on a clandestine meeting, planning tactical offensive against government forces.

Recovered from the fight scene were an M-16 rifle, a bandolier containing M16 magazines and ammunition.; a caliber 38 revolver loaded with bullets; documents showing their plans and training documents for potential recruits, and a map of the said village.

Military and police forces are on hot pursuit operation and scouring neighboring villages suspected to be the communist rebels' hiding places. (PNA)

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JANUARY

Provincial News, Thursday, January 17, 2008

Sorsogon vice gov cautions PNP on explosives shipment
By Danny O. Calleja

SORSOGON CITY, Jan. 16 (PNA) - Local officials here have cautioned the top hierarchy of the Philippine National Police (PNP) on allowing the transport through the national highway of large volume of explosives between long distance points on apprehensions that it may land into the hands of terrorists.

Last January 4, joint elements of the PNP and Philippine Army (PA) intercepted in Matnog, Sorsogon about 100 tons of explosives aboard three trucks while traveling in convoy on the Maharlika Highway toward the Matnog Ferry Terminal where it would board a roll-on-roll-off passenger vessel to Samar.

In a report to Sorsogon PNP provincial director Senior Supt. Joel Regondola, Matnog chief of police Chief Insp. Jesus Callada said that among the shipment were 1,300 cases of dynamites, 50,000 pieces of blasting caps, 162,600 pieces of detonating cords and 97,000 kilograms of ammonium nitrate.

The shipment came from Bataan and the policeman escorting it identified in the report as PO3 Nathaniel Villarta of the Civil Security Group in Camp Crame, claimed that it was intended for delivery to Metro Asia Co., a mining firm operating in Surigao City and Agusan del Sur.

Callada said they placed the trucks and its cargoes under their custody as Villarta failed to present valid documents covering the transport.

Regondola on Wednesday however, said he ordered the release of the shipment and allowed it to board the RORO vessel to Samar following calls from Chief Supt. Florencio Cacam Jr., the chief of the Firearms and Explosives Division of the PNP based at Camp Crame instructing him to do so.

"We cannot do otherwise because the instruction came from the higher command. We even assisted the crew of the trucks in securing clearance from the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) manning its office at the ferry terminal to facilitate its boarding on the RORO vessel," Regondola said.

Security was also provided to the shipment while it was within the Sorsogon PNP area of responsibility, he added.

But Sorsogon Vice Governor Renato Laurinaria said the shipment of that huge volume of explosives was a breach of the PNP's standard operating procedure (SOP) as apart from the possibility that it may be intercepted along the way by terrorists or anti-government forces like the New People's Army (NPA), it compromised the safety of the people aboard the passenger vessel it used to jump from one island to another.

"Imagine what could happen if it (explosives) accidentally exploded while aboard any of the ships," Laurinaria said.

Or, had it been detected by the NPA and hijacked while traveling the Maharlika Highway, that single policeman escorting it cannot do anything to protect the shipment, Laurinaria added.

"I learned that it was not the first shipment of that kind and manner done by the same mining firm and allowed by the PNP-FED," the vice governor said.

He said, he had written a letter addressed to the secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the PNP chief to remind them of the SOP so that shipments of that kind would no longer be allowed.

Laurinaria is a former police officer and as vice-governor and presiding officer of the provincial legislative board, he also serves as chairman of the committee on peace and order and security of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan. (PNA)

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Provincial News, Friday, Janaury 11, 2008

Bicol's top communist rebel falls

LEGAZPI CITY, Jan. 10 (PNA) -- Authorities arrested on Wednesday Bicol's most wanted person and ranking communist rebel in Albay inside a cockpit arena in Sta. Maria town in Bulacan, a police official said Thursday.

Arrested was Iglecerio Pernia alias "Ka Choy" Secretary, Albay Provincial Party Committee of the New People's Army (NPA) and a member of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP-NPA) Executive Committee in Bicol.

Senior Supt. Eliciar Bron, Bicol PNP spokesman, said Pernia's arrest, Bicol's most wanted person, came after the combine operatives of Sta. Maria municipal station, Bulacan provincial intelligence office and PNP regional intelligence division, Military Intelligence Group 3 and ISAFP saw him inside the town cockpit arena.

The suspect did not resist the apprehending authorities led by Senior Supt. Allen Bantolo, officer-in-charge of the Bulacan Provincial Police Office.

According to the MIG/ISAFP, the suspect had been under intense surveillance and his arrest was a result of tip off by a military asset in Bulacan.

Army Col. Leoncio Serunay, commander of the Army's 65th battalion, said the suspect amassed some P50 million in extortion money from political candidates during last year's national and local election in Albay.

Serumay said the suspect sought refuge in Bulacan province after government forces intensified their military offensive in Bicol, particularly in Albay.

According to military intelligence, Pernia after amassing millions in extortion money has live a life in luxury and spent big amount of money in gambling and other vices.

Pernia, a native of Ligao City, was arrested on the strength of a Warrant of Arrest issued by local courts in the cities of Ligazpi and Ligao.

The ranking NPA leader carries a Php1.5 million bounty for his capture and he is facing a string of criminal cases ranging from murder, frustrated murder, highway robbery, and arson in various courts in Albay.

Authorities brought the suspect to the ISAFP headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, in Quezon City for investigation after which he will be brought to this city to face the criminal charges filed against him.

Authorities said Pernia was reportedly the mastermind in a number of salvaging of known government and communist leaders in Bicol, notably the killing of lawyer/doctor Ricardo Nepomuceno, leader of the Kilusan Kontra Kumunista (KKK) in Oas town last 2003 and farmer leader Expedito Ribaya the former security officer of former Albay Governor Fernando Gonzales on November last year.

Military and police intelligence report also said that the suspect was also the mastermind in the assassination of Sotero Llamas alias "Ka Nognog" former Secretary General of the CPP/NPA Bicol Region Party Committee in 2005.

According to the report, Pernia and Llamas were having a leadership struggle within the BRPC that cause Pernia to alleged order his hitmen to kill Llamas, without the sanction of the CPP central committee.

Sirunay said the capture of Pernia would be a big blow for the communist movement in Bicol, who has 198 armed regulars operating in Albay.(PNA)

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