NPA guerrillas eyed in Masbate ambush

MANILA, Philippines - New People’s Army (NPA) rebels are suspected to be involved in last Saturday’s ambush in Masbate which left a municipal councilor and four others dead, the military said yesterday.

Maj. Harold Cabunoc, spokesman of the Army’s 9th Infantry Division, said police authorities were eyeing politics in the attack, noting that local insurgents sometimes serve as mercenaries of politicians.

“In Masbate, the NPA rebels sometimes offer their services to politicians as guns-for-hire and security escorts,” Cabunoc said in a text message. 

“We can say that they (NPA) are suspects due to their practice of meddling with Masbate politics in the past years. They disarmed politicians recently,” he added.

Cabunoc, however, said it is too early to assume that the insurgents were behind the ambush. 

He said they have not monitored any plan by the rebels to assassinate Wenceslao Sinagpulo Jr., the municipal councilor who was killed in the ambush.

“They (NPA) have not claimed responsibility (for the ambush) as they normally do,” he said. 

Cabunoc said they are now coordinating with the Philippine National Police to determine the identities of the attackers, said to number at least 20.

The ambush, according to police reports, happened at around 2:30 p.m. last Saturday in Sitio Landing in Barangay Bolod, San Pascual town.

Aside from Sinagpulo, also killed in the attack were Baptist pastor Jun-Jun Aragon, driver Rael Hermoso Ponti, Nonoy Francisco, and Onit Cotales.

The victims, who were on board an owner-type jeep owned by a barangay captain, a certain Manuel Hermosa, were heading toward Mapanique village when they were waylaid.

Reports said the ambush actually targeted Hermosa, and that Sinagpulo merely hitched a ride to reach Mapanique en route to Barangay Malaking Ilog where he lived.

Lt. Col. Anthony Purugganan, 9th ID commander, has ordered a platoon of soldiers to accompany the police in running after those behind the attack.

– With Celso Amo