Reds ransack police chief’s residence, take 3 hostages

LEGAZPI CITY — New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas ransacked the house of the acting police chief of Balatan, Camarines Sur and took another policeman, a former vice mayor of the town and his wife hostage last Thursday night, authorities said.

Senior Superintendent Roberto Rongavilla, Camarines Sur police director, said the rebels, numbering about 40, barged into the residence of Senior Inspector Francisco Casida who was then at the municipal police headquarters about two-and-a-half kilometers away.

The rebels carted away a 9-mm. pistol, handheld radio, police uniforms, combat boots and two cellular phones and important documents.

As they fled, the guerrillas took SPO1 Edgard Igsoc, former vice mayor Felix Abaño and his wife Pilar as human shields in case pursuing lawmen caught up with them.

Igsoc, however, managed to escape and alerted his colleagues about the incident. The Abaño couple were freed the following morning.

Rongavilla said the rebels took Abaño as they mistook him to be a police officer.

The NPA’s Romulo Jallores Command is still holding two soldiers — 1Lt. Ronaldo Fedelino and Pfc. Ronel Nemeno — hostage after capturing them during a clash in Tinambac, Camarines Sur last March 1.

The rebels have branded the two captured soldiers as "prisoners of war" but the military has dismissed this.

Gregorio Rosal, spokesman of the Communist Party of the Philippines, called on the government yesterday to cease military operations in Camarines Sur and negotiate the release of Fedelino and Nemeno with the peace panel of the National Democratic Front (NDF).

Army officials earlier had rejected the communists’ demands.

"The NPA has repeatedly proven in the past that it respects the rights of its POWs. It has carried out their orderly release in line with international guidelines and the cooperation of the government and/or third parties," Rosal said. — With Ding Cervantes and Benjie Villa