Friday, August 31, 2007 Rebels charged with extortion By Victor L. Camion
SIATON Police filed extortion, arson, illegal detention and robbery charges against the alleged members of the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New Peoples Army.
Negros Oriental Police Provincial Director Melvin Ramon Buenafe said charges were filed against the suspects after the investigation team successfully gathered concrete evidences them.
The investigation team is composed of members of the different law enforcement agency to include the 61st Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office and Siaton PNP.
In his two-page report to CIDG Regional Office, Senior Inspector Richard Caballero said witnesses positively identified three of the eight persons who claimed to be NPA members through their pictures.
According to witnesses one of the suspects, identified as Rene Boy Canoy, was the one who poured gasoline on the hauling trucks owned by Hacienda Cabrera of Siaton
A man, who also brandished a shotgun while shouting "Mabuhi ang NPA!", was also identified through the pictures as Johny Berano.
Witnesses also testified that the man who ordered the driver to deliver the rebel group to the next sitio was identified as Loggie Pabol.
The NPA men carted away the two shotguns, one caliber .38 revolver, five handheld radio and a radio base with four unit of battery chargers amounting to half a million pesos.
Investigators also said NPA men have demanded from farm administrator, Andre Reyes, to pay revolutionary taxes since December last year.
The "terror" group also asked two M16 rifles, two caliber .45 pistols and two units of cellular phones sometimes on April, before the election through a separate "extortion" letter.
