NPA says people's court to try mayor, 4 others

(Updated 4:02 p.m.) A town mayor of Surigao del Sur and four of his police-military escorts who were abducted by communist rebels Wednesday are now facing charges before a "people's court," the New People's Army (NPA) said. NPA Southern Mindanao spokesman Simon Santiago said they "arrested" Lingig town Mayor Roberto "Jimmy" Luna Jr. over graft and land-grabbing charges. "Luna, a last-term mayor under the ruling Lakas-Kampi Party, is being held for investigations for numerous criminal, land grabbing and graft cases lodged before the local People's Court," Santiago said on the Communist Party of the Philippines website Wednesday night. Meanwhile, a crisis committee headed by no less than Surigao del Sur Governor Vicente Pimentel Jr. was formed to look into the kidnapping of Luna and is security escorts. Senior Superintendent Nestor Monton Fajura, Caraga Police Regional Operations Division chief, said the committee is composed of Governor Pimentel as chairman with top military and police officials of Surigao del Sur as members. "But we are facing problem on operational procedures since Mayor Luna and four others were abducted outside our area of jurisdiction and the most appropriate thing to do is to coordinate with COMVAL authorities" Fajura told GMANews.TV in a phone interview. NPA checkpoint Santiago said Luna and his escorts were arrested at 6:15 a.m. at a mobile checkpoint mounted by NPA fighters along the Davao-Agusan National Highway in Pasian in Monkayo town, Compostela Valley Province. [See: NPA kidnaps Surigao mayor, 4 escorts—police] Luna's escorts included Pfc. John Rey Abao, Pfc. Arnel Dizon, PO2 Boy de Castro and PO3 Alan Dapitanon. All of them are "now under NPA custody while investigations are ongoing," Santiago said. The NPAs under the Conrado Heredia Command-Front 20 Operations Command also seized five M-16 Armalite rifles, two cal-.45 pistols, a 9-mm pistol and a cal-.380 handgun. Santiago said Luna is also being investigated for the 2007 murders of Suazo siblings of Barangay Union in Lingig, and Mayor Amerosin Onsing in 2001. Luna has also been accused of land grabbing 30-hectare peasant lands in Barangay Pagbacatan, and in Dahican Island, he added. Presently, Luna is seeking the Lingig town’s vice mayoral post and has been facing graft charges for the P26-million Land Bank loan for waterways in 2009. "He has pending cases in reactionary courts for illegal logging, falsification of official documents, grave misconduct, and graft and corruption," Santiago said. The NPA said it shall issue further statements and notices related to this latest incident. — with a report from Ben Serrano/LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV