CPP asks PNP to apologize for Batangas school arson

By Ronron
May 20, 2007

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) is asking the Philippine National Police (PNP) to apologize for the burning of a school in Batangas last May 15 that claimed the lives of a teacher and a poll watcher.

In a statement posted on its website (www.philippinerevolution.net), CPP spokesman Gregorio “Ka Roger” Rosal said the PNP should also take back its allegation that the New People’s Army, the armed wing of CPP, is behind the arson.

“The CPP and NPA is strongly demanding the PNP to take back its earlier accusation against the NPA and to apologize to the victims of this crime and the people of Taysan (town),” Rosal said in Filipino.

Hours after the burning of Pinagbayanan Elementary School in Taysan was torched at around 3am of May 15 by five armed men, PNP chief Gen. Oscar Calderon quickly blamed the NPA as being responsible for the incident, saying it is the only group that has the motive to disrupt the elections.

Rosal immediately denied the allegation, and accused instead Calderon of issuing the statement to save the real culprits of the crime, whom, he said, are members of the police and military that are working for local politicians.

True enough, on Thursday, the PNP said members of the Police Region IV-A Special Operations Group were tagged as the perpetrators of the crime, based on eyewitnesses accounts and other circumstantial evidence.

Acting Batangas Provincial Police Director Sr. Supt. Freddie Panen said the RSOG personnel were suspected to have been ordered by Taysan mayoralty candidate Hernando Villena to burn the school, which was then being used as canvassing place, so he could request for a declaration of a failure of election.

Although Villena was leading against his rival, Victor Portugal, Jr., at the canvassing in said school, he eventually lost to Portugal in the final counting.

Despite the recent development, the PNP, however, said that it is not yet totally abandoning the NPA angle.

But like in its earlier statement, Rosal said anew: “To my fellow Filipinos in Taysan, in Barangay Pinagbayanan, you very well know that the NPA cannot inflict even a small damage against the people.”

Rosal had earlier vowed that the NPA will met out justice against the real culprits in the incident./DMS