NPA rebels abduct town mayor

New People’s Army (NPA) rebels seized a town mayor in Oriental Mindoro and his two police bodyguards after killing his two military escorts in a two-hour shootout yesterday.

The dead soldiers were simply identified as Molina and Dimaano.

Polo town Mayor Alex Aranas was campaigning in a remote barangay with two police and two military escorts when they were challenged by a band of 15 NPA rebels.

Aranas and his bodyguards shot it out with the rebels before retreating to seek refuge in the house of one Dr. Leonides Soria, where they made their last stand.

Soria told The STAR via cellphone the shootout lasted for two hours until the group of Aranas ran out of ammunition and surrendered to the NPA rebels.

"Naubusan na rin ng bala ang grupo ni Mayor kaya sumuko na rin sya sa mga rebelde," he said.

Soria said the rebels surrounded his house and forcibly took Aranas and his two police bodyguards after killing the two soldiers.

Military reinforcements arrived later after the rebels had escaped with Aranas and the two policemen, he added.

Soria said the NPA rebels told him they were taking Aranas and the two policemen because they were carrying arms inside their "territory."

"Bakit nangangapanya si Mayor ng may mga armadong bodyguard," he quoted the rebels as saying.

The STAR contacted MIMAROPA police commander Chief Superintendent Napoleon Cachuela but he has no information that Aranas and two policemen had been snatched by the NPA. – Arnell Ozaeta