NPAs grab 500 hostages

DAVAO CITY — Some 500 villagers were taken hostage yesterday by New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Panabo, Davao del Norte and used as human shields against pursuing government forces.

Officials said the villagers from Sitio Casilac and Barangay Manay in Panabo were herded by the NPA rebels into a gymnasium before being released unharmed.

"The rebels used the residents as human shields because they were cornered, but they later let the hostages go," Southern Mindanao police director Chief Superintendent Andres Caro said.

Officials said the scores of residents who were taken hostage by the rebels were caught in the middle of the gun battle with government troops.

Hundreds of police and Army troops, backed by rocket-firing aircraft, clashed with the rebels who took cover in two villages after raiding the Davao Penal and Prison Farm (DPPF) in Davao del Norte last Sunday.

Southern Mindanao regional police operations chief Senior Superintendent Francisco Villaroman said the NPA rebels were led by Leonardo Pitao, also known as Commander Parago.

Pitao led the daring Easter Sunday attack on the prison farm in which the guerrillas seized more than 100 rifles, shotguns and pistols.

Government forces found the attackers early yesterday in a hinterland area near Davao del Norte’s Casilac village, sparking the clash.

Villaroman said the rebels were forced to take the villagers as human shields against aerial bombing.

Antonio Cloma, of the Office of Civil Defense, said 187 families —or more than 700 residents—fled Casilac and Manay because of the bombing and took shelter in a school gymnasium far from the fighting.

The rebels also followed and sought shelter in the gymnasium for several hours before leaving the villagers unharmed.

Villaroman said some 293 villagers from Barangay Manay were brought to safety at the Barangay San Francisco Elementary School in Poblacion Panabo following the air assault on the NPA rebels.

"But there are over 200 villagers who were still left in Barangay Manay. We just couldn’t move to get them because of the ongoing pursuit operations. The rebels have been pushed to the ends of the barangay with the operations," Villaroman said.

Villaroman said Barangay Manay has been cordoned off by the military as they chased the NPA rebels.

"Nobody is allowed to get inside the barangay now. It has been off-limits to everyone while the (military) operation is ongoing," Villaroman said.

Caro, for his part, said it has been a joint police and military operation.

He said the pursuit operations continued after the rebels released their hostages.

Caro said criminal complaints have been filed against Pitao and other NPA leaders for the DPPF attack. Prison officials also were being investigated because they failed to secure the complex, which houses nearly 4,000 convicts.

Police intelligence officials told several provincial security officials, including those responsible for the Davao prison, that communist guerrillas recently bought at least 28 sets of Army uniforms, an indication of a planned attack.

The prison officials did not take any step to prevent the attack, Caro said.

NPA rebels have disguised themselves as police or soldiers in several attacks.

Last Sunday, the NPA rebels led by Pitao, wearing Army uniforms, approached prison guards, then barged into the prison complex before ransacking its armory, Caro said.

In a related development, top police officials said they are coordinating efforts with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to secure armories nationwide from being attacked by the NPA.

"We are working for joint operations of PNP and AFP to secure armories nationwide and foreign nationals since the NPA has announced its plan to conduct more attacks," PNP chief Director General Oscar Calderon said.

Although noting jails are not under police jurisdiction, Calderon said he had ordered all police units nationwide to help in securing prison armories.

Bureau of Corrections Director Vicente Vinarao, on the other hand, urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to allow the deployment of 20 newly trained guards to the DPPF following last Sunday’s attack.

Noting the prohibition over the transfer of personnel during the election period, Vinarao however said the Comelec could make an exception due to the urgency of the situation.

Vinarao pointed out the DPPF can only accommodate 3,100 inmates but their latest count showed there are already 4,091 prisoners in the prison farm serving their sentence.

"At present, there are only 162 DPPF custodial personnel, who are divided into three shifts, with only 54 prison guards on duty per shift," he added.

Vinarao also cited the need for the purchase of additional service firearms for security personnel in DPPF following the raid.

"There is already an approved budget worth P1 million for that purpose. We have made an appeal concerning the purchase of new service firearms since last year," he said.

Vinarao said the prison guards are now using World War II vintage type firearms with a few serviceable shotguns after the NPA ransacked the DPPF armory.

Vinarao ordered the prison officials to submit a report detailing the incident.

"And should there be sufficient ground to warrant the filing of cases against the DPPF personnel (concerned), charges of gross misconduct and dereliction of duty will be filed against them," Vinarao pointed out. – with Cecille Suerte Felipe, Rhodina Villanueva, AP