Wednesday, May 21, 2008 Parago, 11 others sued for Manero abduction By Rhoda M. Hernandez
THE Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) filed charges against rebel leader Leoncio Pita alias Ka Parago and 11 other members of the New People's Army (NPA) for abducting, detaining, and robbing retired Army Sergeant Jose Manero in Calinan, last week.
Pitao and one alias Ka Amor with 10 others were charged based on the affidavits of two security guards, Rico Garcia Badil and Herminigeldo Sino Braga, assigned at the Lorenzo Farm Inc. in Purok 4, Pangyan, Calinan, Davao City.
In their affidavit, the guards said they went to a reforestation area of the farm around 8:30 a.m. of May 11 upon instructions of their employer Rafael Lorenzo as he intended to go there after breakfast.
The guards said they just had their breakfast at 10:30 in the farm, which is around 100 meters from the main road, when Lorenzo arrived with Manero and one Mr. Labrado, and parked their vehicle by the road.
That was when they saw 10 men emerge from a cultivated portion of the farm and pounced on the three men who had just disembarked from the car.
They rushed to help their employer but had to back off when they realized they were outnumbered. Parago and Amor identified themselves, they said, telling them they only want their firearms.
The two guards were led to their guardhouse where the rebels took their three Garand rifles, one shotgun, one .38 caliber revolver, one .45 caliber pistol, and five handheld radios.
