Suspected NPA rebels steal guns from Masbate village exec

A group of suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA) raided and took several firearms from the house of a barangay councilor in Masbate on Tuesday morning, a belated military report said Wednesday. About 10 insurgents robbed the house of barangay councilor Rolly Gemina in San Pedro village in San Pascual town at 6 a.m. Tuesday, Lt. Col. Anthony Purugganan of the 9th Infantry Battalion reported Wednesday. Gemina was held at gunpoint while the suspected rebels took away personal belongings from his house, Purugganan said. The stolen firearms included two M-16 rifles, three pistols, and several rounds of ammunitions, he added. As of posting time, the military was still confirming whether the stolen firearms were licensed to Gemina, Purugganan said. In January, suspected NPA members also raided and carted away weapons from the house of another councilor, Monching Radan, in Claveria town in Masbate. Both incidents occurred as the government undertakes implementation of a nationwide crackdown on private armies in the wake of the November 23 massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao. The carnage was blamed on the powerful Ampatuan clan. — RJAB Jr.,/RSJ, GMANews.TV