Suspected NPA members attack mining office in Comval, kill two

By Ronron
February 6, 2008

Suspected members of the New People's Army (NPA) attacked a mining
office in Compostela Valley on Wednesday morning, killing two persons.

Chief Insp. Querubin Manalang, Police Regional Office 11 spokesman,
said in a phone interview that the incident happened past 6am at the
JB Mining Corp. Compound in Purok 7, Barangay Olaycon, Monkayo town.

Manalang said the rebels were more or less 13, and rode a Mitsubishi
Strada pick-up (LDZ-182) in harassing the mining office owned by
Monkayo Mayor Joel Brillantes.

Army spokesman Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres, Jr. said the rebels are
believed to be under the Front Committee 3 of the CPP-NPA's Southern
Mindanao Regional Committee.

Torres said firefight lasted for 10 minutes as at least one security
guard on duty reportedly fought it out with the rebels.

Unfortunately, security guard Dante Nonat, 30, and civilian Ewrin
Henares, 32, died in the incident. Manalang said Nonat works for
Goldfield Security Agency, owned also by Brillantes.

The police spokesman was not immediately aware, however, what was
Henares doing at the site. But he surmised that Henares could be an
employee there because "the place is not accessible to any ordinary
person."

Before leaving towards Montevista town, the rebels took Nonat's
armalite rifle and caliber 45, Manalang said.

At Barangay New Calape in Montevista town, police recovered the Strada
pick-up that was abandoned by the rebels, together with the driver,
identified as Richard Romero.

"We found out that Romero rented that pick up in Davao City but he was
commandeered by the rebels somewhere," Manalang said.

Pursuit operations were immediately conducted by Army troopers and
elements of the 1102nd Provincial Mobile Group, but the perpetrators
managed to escape, Manalang said.

Checkpoints conducted by police in the neighboring town of Nabunturan
was also futile, he added.

Asked for the motive of the incident, Manalang said: "We know that it
is again related to the NPA's extortion activities, what they call as
demand for revolutionary tax. It's public knowledge here that Mayor
Brillantes does not give in to their demand so that's why his company
was harassed."

Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. had disclosed
late last month that militiamen can be tapped as security for mining
firms, other private companies and local government units that are
prone to attacks by the communist guerillas.

The Arroyo government has vowed to crush the NPA by 2010. At present,
the NPA's strength is estimated by the military to be at 5,760, the
lowest in two decades./DMS