NPA blamed for killing of 2 barangay officials

MEXICO, Pampanga — Two men believed to be New People’s Army (NPA) hit men gunned down a woman barangay chief and one of her councilmen and seriously wounded another village official here last Friday afternoon.

Col. Preme Monta, spokesman of the Armed Forces Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom), said Barangay Parian chairwoman Victorina Gomez, 63, and barangay kagawads Romeo Atienza, 45, and Reynaldo Macabali were on their way home after attending a peace and order meeting at the municipal gymnasium when two motorcycle-riding men attacked them at about 5:10 p.m.

The meeting was called by the special operations team of the Army’s 69th Infantry Battalion led by Lt. Joel Banatao.

The victims were rushed to the Lingad Memorial Hospital in the City of San Fernando where Gomez and Atienza were declared dead on arrival. Macabali remained in critical condition.

Monta blamed the NPA for the attack, saying that Gomez had called on barangay residents to cooperate with the Army during the meeting.

"She urged (those who attended) to help the military clear their barangays of communist rebels. She even escorted some suspected communist rebels for an interview with the military," he said.

Monta added that Gomez had been "very supportive" of the 69th IB since it put up a detachment in Barangay Parian last November.

"The NPA (rebels) had to kill Gomez and her supporters since (their) influence in the town has been waning," Monta said.

Earlier that day, militant groups presented to Mexico Mayor Teddy Tumang alleged victims of human rights violations by the military.

This prompted Tumang to call on the military to be cautious in dealing with local folk.

Chief Superintendent Alejandro Lapinid, Central Luzon police director, said the police are closely watching Mexico and Floridablanca towns as the Communist Party of the Philippines marks its founding anniversary on Dec. 26.

Of the 43 barangays of Mexico, 10 are considered to be NPA-influenced and nine others less influenced.

Lapinid said the police will remain on full alert throughout the holidays and will keep a close watch over heavily crowded areas such as malls and churches.

Monta said the move to relocate the 703rd Infantry Brigade and the 69th IB from San Jose and Bamban towns in Tarlac, respectively, to Arayat, Pampanga is part of the anti-insurgency strategy in Central Luzon.

Meanwhile, motorcycle-riding men gunned down a coordinator of the leftist party-list group Bayan Muna in Barangay Pinaod in San Ildefonso, Bulacan last Friday afternoon.

Reports said the victim, Jessie Alcantara, 46, former secretary-general of the San Ildefonso tricycle operators and drivers’ federation, was driving his tricycle when he was attacked in Barangay Pinaod. — With Ric Sapnu, Len Espinosa and James Mananghaya