NPA kills Zambo b'gay chief, 2 others

ZAMBOANGA CITY - Suspected communist hit men killed a village chief and two civilians in Zamboanga del Sur last Saturday, apparently on suspicion they were helping the military in the anti-insurgency drive, an Army official said.

This developed as the 14 mayors of Mindoro Oriental and Church officials condemned yesterday the slaying of Mayor Oscar Aldaba of San Teodoro by communist rebels last Sunday.

Brig. Gen. Narciso Abaya, chief of the Army's First Infantry Division, said Fernando Cainglet, chief of Barangay La Paz in Naga, Zamboanga del Sur, Arnold Samson and Wilmar Egam were watching television at Cainglet's home when the armed men barged inside the house and sprayed them with bullets at about 10 p.m.

Abaya said the three could have been executed on suspicion they were military spies.

Maj. Gen. Diomedio Villanueva, commander of the Southern Tagalog Command, said more ground troops have been deployed to go after the killers of Aldaba.

The Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan described the slay as an "act of sacrilege" because the mayor was killed in front of the church. Aldaba and his wife had just attended Mass when he was gunned down.

In an emergency meeting yesterday, the mayors' league of Mindoro Oriental, headed by Pinamalayan Mayor Fred Hernandez, passed a resolution condemning Aldaba's murder as an "act of cowardice on the part of the perpetrators."

Meanwhile, a soldier and two militiamen were killed in an ambush by about 15 New People's Army guerrillas in Binalbagan, Negros Occidental last Saturday.

The slain soldier, Cpl. Domingo Romero, was among elements of the Army's 11th Infantry Battalion familiarizing themselves with their detachment in Barangay Payao when the ambush occurred.

The 11th IB recently arrived in central Negros to replace the 6th Special Forces Battalion.

Romero and militiamen Jerry Robles and Godofredo Heron were killed in the first volley of fire. A third militiaman, Alex Sialsa, was wounded.

With the Binalbagan ambush, Brig. Gen. Julius Javier, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, said the mainstream rebel faction in Negros island wanted to show its strength.

In Montevista, Compostela Valley, two insurgents were slain in an encounter with soldiers of the 72nd Infantry Battalion Sunday morning.

Col. Generoso Sunga, commander of the 701st Infantry Brigade, said 72nd IB troops chanced upon some 10 NPA rebels in Barangay Prosperidad and a gunbattle ensued.

A rebel, Samson Tabagi, 29, was wounded and brought by the soldiers to the Davao Medical Center.

Government troops recovered a cache of rifles and ammunition, believed belonging to rebels, in the hut of one Manuel Pichon, an NPA leader killed in an encounter last year, in Managtas, Lupon, Davao Oriental.