NPA admits ‘arresting’ Davao City woman

MANILA, Philippines - The communist New People’s Army (NPA) command under Leoncio Pitao a.k.a. Kumander Parago claimed responsibility for abducting a 21-year-old woman in Paradise Embac, Paquibato District in Davao City last Friday. Online news site Mindanao Daily Mirror reported NPA political director Ka Simon Santiago said Elenisa “Tata" Garcia, 21, was “arrested" at 7 p.m. last March 20. Santiago told a local Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) station Garcia was arrested for “crimes she had committed" against the underground movement. He said Garcia was involved in intelligence work and had been reporting of the NPA’s location activities to the Military Intelligence Battalion (MIB). Garcia was also instrumental in the identification of civilians who had connections with the NPA, he added. Santiago said Garcia is now in an NPA detention cell but assured her family that her rights would be respected. He said Garcia has the right to be represented by a lawyer during her trial. Paquibato police precinct commander Senior Inspector Dave Liboon earlier said two armed men arrived at Garcia’s residence posing as customers in their sari-sari store. Liboon said the men insisted on buying some items from the store, but when Garcia’s brother opened the door they introduced themselves as NPA members and said they wanted to talk to Garcia. When the brother appealed to the suspects not to harm his sister, they pulled out their guns and brought Garcia to a waiting motorcycle. Eastern Mindanao Command spokesman Major Randolph Cabangbang lambasted the NPA for taking Garcia since she is a woman. “They are not trained to investigate. They are not lawyers. They don’t have detention facilities, considering she was a woman," Cabangbang said. - GMANews.TV