4 suspected PAG members nabbed in Masbate

Four suspected members of a private armed group (PAG) were arrested on Thursday after a raid in a remote village in a town in Masbate, a military officer said Friday. Members of Task Force Masbate raided Barangay Naocondiot in Placer town at 3:15 p.m. Thursday after receiving reports on the presence of armed men in the area, Major Harold Cabunoc of the 9th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army said in a statement Friday. Arrested were suspected partisan armed group members Ronald Santianes, Dennis Salvador, Ardito Gailan and Sonny Espinosa. Cabunoc said the suspects initially fired at the soldiers, but eventually surrendered after seeing they were surrounded by members of the task force. Copies of official ballots for the upcoming polls and a revolver were recovered from the suspects, Cabunoc said. The suspects are currently detained at the Masbate Provincial Police Office while criminal charges are being prepared to be filed against them. Masbate has been a consistent election “hot spot," registering 18 incidents of election-related violence during the 2007 polls. Special task forces from both the police and the military have been deployed to the province in preparation for the upcoming polls. — with Andreo Calonzo/RSJ, GMANews.TV