NPA Rebels Face Arson Raps

Eleven suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels are facing charges for arson having allegedly burned a farm tractor in E.B. Magalona, Negros Occidental in June last year.

Charges were filed Thursday by the Bureau of Fire Protection before the Negros Occidental Provincial Prosecutor’s Office. Charged were Hernando Llorente Jr., alias Ka Odoy; Arlo Vargas, alias Ka Blas Poloy; Rogelio Posadas, alias Ka Poten/Isko Roman/Roger/Philip; Charity Amacan-Villar, alias Ka Lumen/Nelia, Benhur Perez; Justiniano Palay, alias Ka Paloy; and those with aliases Ka Koing Alba, Ka Jamil, Ka Chedenga, Ka Jay and Ka Mark.

All respondents are at-large.

According to military and police records, the burning of the tractor, owned by Arturo Ledesma, in June 2011 was triggered by his refusal to pay revolutionary taxes.

The raid at Ledesma’s hacienda in Hacienda Teresa was allegedly led by Llorente, who burned a Kubota 7500 tractor and disarmed hacienda security guard Mario Lachica of his M16 assault rifle with seven magazines of ammunition.

Before the rebels left, Llorente fired his M-16 assault rifle, hitting another security guard identified as Christopher Herza, witnesses said.

Four other farm tractors were also burned by suspected rebels in Brgy. San Isidro E.B. Magalona and in Brgy. Carabalan Himamaylan City last year, and recently in Brgy. Cabacungan La Castellana, also for not complying with the extortion demands of the NPA, military records also showed. Last Tuesday, a group of NPA rebels also torched a tractor at the sugarcane farm of the family of Bacolod Councilor Al Victor Espino, in La Castellana, Negros Occidental.

In a statement, the Leonardo Panaligan Command of the New People’s Army-Central Negros claimed responsibility for the incident.

Espino said his family received extortion letters from the NPA’s Boy Gatmaitan Command in October, November and December last year but they also refused to grant the rebels’ demands.*