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Saturday, April 14, 2007
Militant wounded in Iloilo attack; 2 others abducted
MANILA -- Unidentified armed men assaulted a group of leftist militants in Oton town in Iloilo on Thursday night, wounding one of them and abducting two others, reports reaching the PNP national headquarters in Camp Crame said.
Wounded was Jose Ely Garachino, 51, a member of the leftist human rights group Karapatan, who was shot and hit in the neck. Garachino was rushed to Iloilo Doctors Hospital, the PNP Western Visayas Police Office said.
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Those abducted were Luisa Pusa of Selda, a leftist organization, and Nilo Arado of the left-leaning Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP). Efforts are ongoing to locate those abducted.
Reports said the three militants were on board a pick-up vehicle that was traveling in Barangay Cabanbanan at around 9:30 p.m. Thursday when their vehicle's path was reportedly cut by a van with license plate FVF-463.
The occupants of the van later opened fire at the vehicle, hitting Garachino and later forced Pusa and Arado into their vehicle. Investigators were still establishing the identities of the perpetrators and their motives.
KMP spokesman Karl Ala said the military was behind the incident.
Government forces are usually blamed by leftist organizations whenever their members are attacked by unidentified gunmen.
Armed Forces public information officer Bartolome Bacarro denounced Ala for blaming the military on the incident saying it was black propaganda.
"I think it was very unfair on the part of Karl Ala to immediately draw a conclusion that it is the Armed Forces of the Philippines that is behind the incident," Bacarro told reporters.
"Even though they have no basis, just to destroy the image of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, they will be very, very quick in pointing an accusing finger at the Armed Forces of the Philippines," said Bacarro.
(VR/Sunnex)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro. (April 14, 2007 issue)
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