NPA kumander says politicians provided guns, ammo to rebels

BUTUAN CITY — Dequito alyas Kumander Bravo alyas Arnold Montilla of the New People’s Army told newsmen here yesterday that some politicians provided them arms and ammunitions.

He, however, did not identify the politicians.

Dequito said, some politicians in the region are also engaged in "narco-politics" pretending as crusaders or "anti-illegal drug operators."

He claimed it was the NPA who liquidated at least three mayors in Caraga Region, whom the communist guerillas claimed to be "undesirables."

He said it was the NPA who killed Tagana-an Mayor Victor Elipe in a Christmas party at a barangay hall in Tagana-an town in Surigao del Norte last Dec. 19.

Dequito claimed Elipe was sentenced by the NPAs for alleged landgrabbing and rape charges.

But two sons of the late Tagana-an mayor, Prince and President Elipe who are also public officials like their father blamed politics for the killing of their father.

Prince Elipe is a city councilor of Cagayan de Oro, while President Elipe is a provincial boardmember of Surigao del Norte.

Dequito claimed that the NPA was responsible in the murder of Bayugan, Agusan del Sur Mayor Bernardo Asis, husband of now incumbent Mayor Alith Asis.

Asis was shot to death while campaigning in the last May 2001 local elections.

Asis was also charged by the NPA’s court for allegedly engaging in illegal drugs.

Dequito, who voluntarily surrendered to the Caraga Police Regional Mobile Group last Wednesday, is now subject of a manhunt by his own comrades, police regional mobile group head, Supt. Celso Curitana told THE STAR in a telephone interview.

Curitana appealed to different newsmen here not to published the photo of Dequito for fear that he will be identified by assassins of the NPA’s Sparrow Unit out to liquidate him on orders of his former comrades.

The NPA leader voluntarily surrendered to the group of Curitana last Wednesday after hiding from his comrades for two years. He has to use many aliases which include Arnold Montilla, to keep him away from pursuing comrades who wanted him dead.

Last Thursday, Dequito, 24, married and a resident of RTR town in Agusan del Norte accompanied the group of Curitana to an abandoned hinterland camp of the New People’s Army situated near the boundary of Santiago and Tubay towns, all in Agusan del Norte to locate firearms and ammunitions hiddenby the NPA in the area.

But Curitana’s group returned empty handed.

Curitana said, they travelled almost five hours by foot from Barangay Tagmamarkay, Tubay, Agusan del Norte to reach the abandoned training camp near Barangay San Isidro, Santiago, Agusan del Norte but only to find out that the firearms and ammunitons hidden by NPA combatants are no longer there.

Dequito told newsmen here Saturday morning that he now wanted to live a normal life after six years of armed struggle in the hinterlands of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Norte.

Dequito said, he joined the NPA at the age of 18 after being recruited in Barangay Ampayon in 1996.

He claimed to have under him some 82 armed NPA combatants of the New People’s Army, who with more than 300 operating in the entire Caraga Region, and six NPA commanders. He was the leader of the Dahinog Command of the NPA.