ONE of the "suspects" of 21-year-old Rebelyn Pitao's death early this year was shot and killed by suspected New People's Army (NPA) rebels in Paquibato district, Davao City Sunday.

Rebelyn is the daughter of rebel leader Leoncio Pitao, alias Kumander Parago.

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The victim was identified as Corporal Orly Pedregoza, a military agent residing in Malabog, Paquibato. Pedregoza, detailed with the 10th Infantry Division, died on the spot due to multiple gunshot wounds in the head.

The military said he was practically defenseless as he was attending a religious festivity of Filipinista or the Philippine Independent Church, a local Christian religious sect, when attacked by NPA rebels identified as Jun Bustamante and Bryan Pitao, Rebelyn's brother.

The attack also resulted to the wounding of two civilians identified as Jeffrey Baltic and Jolito Atig.

In a statement e-mailed to Sun.Star Davao Monday, the NPA admitted killing Pedregoza, but denied he was "defenseless."

Pedregoza was "armed, dangerous and (fought with) the NPA arresting team that resulted to his death," Ka Simon Santiago, spokesperson for NPA-Southern Mindanao Regional Political Department, said.

Santiago said Pedregoza was to be arrested around 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Crossing Malabog in Paquibato, but he resisted.

"Three hand grenades, MIB intelligence documents, a .357 pistol were confiscated afterwards. A counterfeit 1,000 peso bill was also found in his possession," Santiago claimed in the same statement.

The NPA identified Pedregosa as an operative of the 10th ID's Military Intelligence Battalion (MIB).

The People's Court following an indictment against 21 respondents last March 29 for war crimes, crimes against humanity and serious violations of international humanitarian law in the abduction, torture, rape and brutal murder of Rebelyn issued Pedregosa's arrest order along with several others.

The military condemned Pedregoza's killing, saying the rebel attack perpetrated while there was a religious celebration showed the rebel group's "total disregard for the safety of the civilians and a contempt to religious sensitivity."

"We condemn this act in the strongest term possible and pray that the wheel of justice will grind in the interest of truth and of the people. We commiserate with the families of the victims as we appeal for sobriety in the pursuit of legal remedies for the perpetrators to face justice and serve their sentence in the most humane way possible," the Army's 10th ID stated in a text message Sunday evening.

Major General Reynaldo Mapagu, 10th ID chief, expressed grief over the incident and condemned the murder, saying "the killing of an individual and wounding of two others in the middle of a community activity showed the true nature of the organization where the perpetrators belong. This is a total disregard to the safety of civilians and contempt to a peaceful gathering in a community."

The military said Pedregoza is the latest victim this month in the string of murder cases in southern Mindanao that involved local communist rebels including the killing of the Tulang brothers, the 71-year-old Datu Intoy Baguio, the 72-year-old Pablo Ebero, and Silvano delas Alas, a 50-year-old farmer who was mistakenly shot dead by members of the Local Terrorist Front-20 (LTF-20) in Barangay San Jose, Boston town in Davao Oriental early morning on October 18.

The military said that in all of these atrocities, the NPA admitted excesses and mistakes on the part of their men who were tasked to carry out its death orders but made no effort to punish them.

Pedregoza was accused by Parago of raping and killing his daughter last March. Other personalities suspected by the rebels of having participation in Rebelyn's death are Sgt. Ben Tipait alias Edmar, Sgt. Romeo Marcos alias Adan Sulao, Col. Caguiwa, Sgt. Romeo Carreon. Sgt. Helvin Bitang, Cpl. Winnie Carampatana, Sgt. Melvin Punla, Maj. Cabanalan, Sgt. Caballero and other personnel of the MIB of the 10th Infantry Division only identified as Hagto, Embac, alias Ariel, alias Benjak, Reynaldo Desales a.k.a. Jomar, Sgt. Senit, and other John Does.