Army readies armed option vs Luna’s NPA captors

Soldiers of the Philippine Army’s 401st Infantry Brigade and the 10th Infantry Battalion from Compostela Valley are forming a circle against the NPA rebels and their captives somewhere between Compostela Valley and Surigao del Sur. Should the negotiations for the release of Luna and his four security men fail, the military will act once it receives the order, Col. Augusto Tolentino, commanding officer of 401st IB, said in an interview. “But of course, we will give time to the negotiating team for the safe release of Mayor Luna and his four security escorts before implementing military options", Tolentino said. The military now knows where the NPA is hiding the kidnapped mayor and the security men, he said. The NPA rebels holding Luna and his men have also raised the ransom money or "lodging fee" to P10 million from P2 million, according to Tolentino. The rebels have sent feelers asking Tolentino to cease military operations in the area for the negotiations to proceed smoothly. But Tolentino said he told the NPA to first release the kidnap victims before military troops will be pulled out of the area. Luna and his men were on their way to Davao City near the boundary of Barangay Langkilaan, Trento, Agusan del Sur when they were captured by NPA rebels at about 6 a.m. on May 5. (See: NPA kidnaps Surigao mayor, 4 escorts—police) A crisis committee, headed by Surigao del Sur Gov. Vicente Pimentel Jr., on Thursday tapped Agusan del Sur provincial social welfare officer Josefina Bajade as head negotiator in the talks with NPA rebels. (See: NPA holds Surigao gov’s convoy, seizes 7 firearms) Bajade and the Agusan del Sur provincial government were responsible for the release of 75 hostages, including 17 schoolchildren, in Sitio Maitum, Barangay San Martin, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur on Dec. 9, 2010. National Democratic Front-Northeastern Regional Command (NDF-NMRC) spokesperson Jorge Madlos, a.k.a. Ka Oris, said in a statement the NPA considers the four government security escorts as prisoners of war. They are Private 1st Class John Rey Abao and PFC1 Arnel Dizon of the 58th IB, and Police Officer 2nd Class Jose de Castro and PO3 Allan Dapitanon of the Philippine National Police in Lingig. Lt. Col. Gilbert Saret, the Army battalion now pursuing Luna's captors said that Pimentel and his team are now negotiating for the release of Luna his men. Compostela Valley provincial police chief Sr. Supt. Aaron Aquino said the rebels and their captives already crossed the thickly forested mountain range separating Compostela Valley and Surigao del Sur, and that a possible release might happen on the Surigao side. This was the second time NPA rebels abducted Luna. In 2007, NPA gunmen posing as government soldiers raided the Lingig police station, using Luna as a human shield while ransacking the station's weapons cache. He was released 12 hours later. —Ben Serrano/VS, GMANews.TV