Dumaguete City—Two suspected members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army believed to be part of the group that allegedly tortured and killed four policemen in Ayungon, Negros Oriental last month were arrested on Saturday following a joint military and police operation in Barangay Mabato in the said town.
Maj. Romel Luga, Ayungon police chief, on Sunday confirmed that the two suspects were among the several suspected NPA rebels responsible for the slaying of Cpl. Relebert Beronio, Pat. Raffy Callao, Pat. Ruel Cabellon, and Pat. Marquino de Leon, intelligence personnel of the 704th Mobile Force Company of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion in Central Visayas.
Initial reports from the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office identified the two suspects as Edmar Acibo Amaro and Jojo Torres Ogatis, who were arrested three hours apart during joint combat operations by personnel of the RMFB 7 Striking Force, the 704th MC RMFB7, and the 94th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army.
First to fall was Amaro, who was arrested at around 9 a.m. for alleged illegal possession of firearms and explosives in Sitio Yamot in Barangay Mabato, the same area where the four police intelligence operatives were killed.
Recovered from Amaro were one rifle grenade, one .38-cal. revolver with no serial number and loaded with three live ammunition, one backpack, a pair of combat shoes, a set of uniform marked “PKP 50,” and other personal items.
Three hours later, police and military troops swooped down on Ogatis in Sitio Sook in Barangay Mabato.
Ogatis was reportedly arrested on his wedding day. A witness had positively identified him as one of the suspects in the “summary execution” of the four policemen.
Luga said charges for illegal possession of a firearm, ammunition, and an explosive will be filed for inquest against Amaro while murder charges are being readied against the two suspects.
President Rodrigo Duterte has raised the reward for the capture of the perpetrators in the brutal killing of the four police officers to P5million.
As this developed, President Duterte’s spokesman Salvador Panelo said that the president’s order for the military to give communist rebels “what they deserve” does not apply to those who have been arrested, saying the Chief Executive’s threat only covers armed encounters.
Panelo said Duterte’s directive to the military only covers shootouts where the rebels fight back.
“That’s what the President said… during shootouts, not during the capture or arrest,” Panelo said in a radio interview.
“He clarified that. He said it won’t be applied to those who were arrested,” Panelo added.
His clarification came after Duterte directed the Armed Forces last week to give rebels what they deserve amid the spate of killings in Negros Oriental.
Duterte said the communist insurgents “crossed the red line” when they killed people who do not agree with them.
There is no official report yet on the number of killings in the Negros islands, but news reports stated there were about 30 murders occurred in the province in just a few weeks.
Last week, the President threatened to do a “drastic move” to quell the violence in Negros Oriental.
He did not elaborate on the matter, but Malacañang said he was referring to the use of emergency powers, including the declaration of martial law, to stop the killings in the province.