Jailed NPA leader survives ambush by suspected ex-comrades

Suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in the eastern province of Albay tried to kill their jailed former leader after he attended a court hearing Tuesday, the military said on Wednesday. Iglecerio Pernia, alias Ka Choy, was being escorted by police from a court hearing in Ligao City when rebels attacked their convoy at around 10 a.m. Tuesday at Lower Binogsacan village in Guinobatan town, Albay, said the Philippine Army in a report. Pernia is among the 14 consultants that the National Democratic Front (NDF) wants released before the resumption of the stalled peace negotiations with the government, according to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process. [link: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/170611/sept-5-make-or-break-for-peace-talks-ndf] The NDF is an umbrella group of leftist groups in the Philippines, including the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and it’s military arm, the NPA. A statement dated September 6 from the OPAPP also said Pernia has pending cases ranging from murder, arson, highway robbery, and rebellion, among others. But Brig. Gen. Tristan Kison, deputy commander of the Philippine Army’s 9th Infantry Division, claimed that the attack was not an attempt to rescue Pernia, who he said was a member of the NPA’s Albay Provincial Committee. He said the rebels actually want Pernia killed for squandering party funds. “That’s common knowledge here," Kison said. “They (NPA rebels) want to kill him because of the sins he committed." The CPP or the NPA has not immediately issued a statement on the attack. Pernia was arrested by security forces in January 2008 in Sta. Maria, Bulacan. The military said he sought refuge in the province after amassing about P50 million in extortion money from politicians who ran during the 2007 elections. Kison argued that if the NPA wanted to rescue Pernia, they would have merely intercepted the convoy without firing. “They didn’t care if Ka Choy will be hit because that is what they want." He added that the rebels were even planning to attack the provincial jail to execute Pernia. The jailed rebel was not hurt in the attack, but one of his escorts, PO1 Rommel Aringo of the 501st Provincial Mobile Group, sustained superficial wounds, said Kison. – With Melissa Delos Santos, GMANews.TV