2 NPA hit men in Ejercito slay try killed

SAN LUIS, Pampanga - Two suspected communist guerrillas, believed part of a group that staged last Tuesday's ambush of a party of presidential son Joel Ejercito and Sasmuan Mayor Catalina Bagasina, were killed in a clash with policemen here late Friday night.

Three other suspected rebels were captured, while another was believed wounded in the 30-minute firefight in Barangay Pambilog of this town.

Central Luzon police director Chief Superintendent Roberto Calinisan said probers have established that the ambushers belonged to the Rebolusyonaryong Hukbo ng Bayan (RHB), a breakaway faction of the New People's Army (NPA), the military arm of the local communist insurgency movement.

Calinisan identified one of the slain suspects as Rodel Villena, alias Bisaya or Ka Rody, of Arayat town.

Two of those captured were identified as Salvador Garcia, 52, alias Ka Dagul, and Rogelio Lansangan, 36, both of San Luis town.

"We are sure that they were among the 50 heavily armed men who ambushed the party of Bagasina at a river in Sasmuan last Tuesday," Calinisan said.

Vincent Rodriguez, a correspondent of a Manila-based radio network, was killed in the ambush, while Bagasina and Ejercito were unhurt.

Calinisan said an informer led them to the rebels' hideout in Pambilog where they were also conducting teach-ins for new recruits.

A trail of blood indicated that another rebel was wounded, but was taken along by his fleeing comrades.

There were no casualties on the government side.

The lawmen recovered from the scene of the gun battle four Armalite rifles, one grenade launcher, 500 rounds of M-16 ammunition, 21 Armalite magazines and subversive documents.

Police identified the leaders of the ambushers as Ka Harold, Ka Jersen and Ka Jane.

The probers were convinced that Ejercito was not the actual target of the ambush.

Bagasina maintained that the attack was politically motivated, with her as the target.

Calinisan said he has dispatched police teams to track down the ambushers, as he expressed optimism that they would be able to solve the case soon.

He said charges of murder, multiple attempted murder and multiple frustrated murder were filed last Friday before the provincial state prosecutor against the suspects.

Calinisan also said the NPA and the RHB have been at loggerheads in Central Luzon, adding that the two groups were engaged in "revolutionary taxes," a euphemism for extortion, to finance their armed struggle.

Bagasina, along with Vice Mayor Marilyn Banting, scored the police for alleged foot-dragging in solving the ambush.

The two officials said the police have been "unusually quick" in putting the blame on the communist rebels, but were slow in arresting the perpetrators.

They also said the police probers have not even come up with a witness to firm up their allegation that communist rebels staged the ambush.