Cebu mayor main target of rebel raiders

CEBU - The mayor of Sogod town, which communist rebels raided last Friday, is on top of the death list of the New People's Army for his "sins against the people."

In an interview with local radio station dyAB, Rudy Magtanggol of the New People's Army's Vicente Padayao Command said Mayor Thadeus Durano was the principal target of the raid.

Magtanggol, however, noted that it was difficult to track Durano down because he allegedly comes to the office only once a month and uses different types of vehicles.

He alleged that "the sins of Durano included the masterminding of the abduction and slay of Fr. Rudy Romano in 1985."

"We were able to confirm our initial reports of Durano's involvement through some military intelligence agents whom we have captured in 1995," he claimed.

These agents reportedly said that Romano was brought to Danao after he was abducted in Labangon, Magtanggol alleged.

The Redemptorist priest-activist was made to lie down on ice and was later placed in a drum. Rocks were attached to the drum which was dropped into the sea off Danao City, the NPA spokesman claimed.

According to Magtanggol, they will continue to target public officials and private persons who have committed crimes against the people.

In last Friday's raid, Magtanggol said the NPA carted away seven Armalites, 1,000 Armalite bullets, three caliber .45 pistols, one 9-mm pistol, three caliber .38 revolvers, one airgun pistol, one Frontier revolver and one caliber .32 revolver.

He also said that four of his companions, not one as reported by the military, were wounded when policemen fired back.

Magtanggol said they did not fire back at the policemen because of the presence of many civilians.

He said they decided to leave the documents and several other paraphernalia because they had to secure their four wounded comrades and the high-powered firearms.

The four wounded NPA guerrillas are now safe, he said, adding that those who joined the raid were all from Cebu.

He said that although the province does not have thick forests, the support of the people in the villages are enough to make them carry out their war.

Some officials of the regional police, who requested anonymity, said that some residents of mountain villages are, indeed, cooperating with the NPA.

The state of readiness in all police stations and military camps, including those in Cebu City, has been raised to "double red alert" in anticipation of more NPA raids.

Policemen were ordered to pile up sandbags in front of their stations to serve as cover in case of a shootout.

Military personnel manning Camp Lapu-Lapu, the Visayas Command headquarters, have prohibited the entry of unauthorized civilian vehicles as a precautionary measure.

But Visayas Command spokesman Michael Manquiquis downplayed the reports, saying those who are supporting the NPA may have just been forced to comply with the rebels' orders.

To neutralize the NPA's influence on the populace, the anti-communist group National Alliance for Democracy, for its part, has begun a massive information drive to counter the communist rebels' propaganda in the countryside.

The alliance, headed by its founding chairman, Pastor Jun Alcover, has distributed leaflets, flyers and posters that identify organizations which serve as alleged fronts of the communists in Cebu.

Named by the alliance in the leaflets as alleged supporters of the NPA were the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, Kilusang Mayo Uno, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, Gabriela and other organizations affiliated with Bayan.

Bayan chairman for Central Visayas, Paul Rodriquez, denied the alliance's allegations, saying his group espouses peace as opposed to the communists' armed struggle.