By Ronron
May 8, 2007
An alleged regional leader of the New People’s Army in Eastern Visayas was arrested on Monday night while in the company of Bayan Muna party-list Representative Teodoro Casiño, Philippine Army officials said yesterday.
Maj. Felix Mangyao, public information officer (PIO) of the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division, said Vicente “Bebot” Borja, 36, a resident of Barangay Lao in Ormoc City, Leyte province, was arrested by joint police and military elements at around 8:30 pm the other day (Monday) in Barangay Linao, same city.
Mangyao said members of the Ormoc City Police Station, led PO2 Arturo Quilantang, Jr., and who were supported by elements of the Philippine Army’s 19th Infantry Battalion, were armed with two arrest warrants against Borja issued by Judge Apolinario Buaya and Judge Aquiline Inopeques, Jr.
Mangyao said Borja has two murder cases and an attempted destruction of property case pending in different courts in the city.
One of the murder case is about the killing of Sgt. Guillermo Analasan of the 19th IB last November 7, 2006 at the Kanangga Public Market in Southern Leyte province, said Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Jr.
Esperon tagged Borja as an NPA hitman and Regional White Area Committee Chair of the underground Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee.
Esperon pointed out that when Borja was being arrested, Casiño allegedly physically obstructed and vigorously argued with the arresting team.
But in a statement, Casiño denied that Borja is a communist rebel. He said Borja is an Anakpawis Regional Campaign Officer, and it is in this capacity that he was attending a campaign staff meeting when the arrest was effected.
Casiño said Borja is also a National Council member of the National Federation of Labor Unions (NAFLU) – Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU).
“We are contesting the illegal arrest of … Borja. Members of the Army’s 19th Infantry Battalion showed a defective warrant that had a name of another person when they suddenly entered and held us at past 9pm Monday as we were having a campaign staff meeting in Barangay Linao,” Casiño said.
He alleged that even the arrest warrant for Borja’s attempted destruction of property case has no bearing because he is out on bail for said case.
But the military insisted that police still has the power to arrest Borja for his murder case.
“I’m wondering why Mr. Casiño is in the company of an NPA hitman and executive committee officer of the NPA. If you put the legal organization there with the NPA, it reminded me of the statement of Joma Sison in the video presentation we made,” said AFP PIO Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro.
A few months back, the AFP presented a video that showed Sison, the founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines, enumerating cuase-oriented groups, including Bayan Muna, as alleged legal fronts of the NPA.
The video taking was allegedly done in 1987.
The AFP has long tagged Bayan Muna, and other militant groups that found their way to the Lower House of Representatives, such as Gabriela and Anakpawis, as legal front organizations of the communist movement in the country./DMS
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