CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Communist rebels ride in tandem too.
This, the police discovered after engaging and killing in a gunfight at dawn of All Saints Day two suspected members of the Palermo Ortañez Command of the New People’s Army along the old San Fernando-Bacolor Road in Sitio Banlic, Barangay Cabalantian, Bacolor town.
Senior Supt. Edgardo Tinio, director of the Pampanga Police Office (PPO), said investigators have yet to establish the identities of slain armed men as “they carried no identification cards.”
They were identified as rebels, Tinio said, because of the “pieces of extortion letters with the NPA letterhead” they had with them.
Tinio said the armed men riding-in-tandem on a motorcycle were initially spotted by lawmen manning a checkpoint in the said place past 3 a.m.
When flagged down, Tinio said the duo ignored the roadblock manned by police led by Chief Insp. Jose Mari Basa, chief of police of Bacolor, which prompted lawmen to give chase.
In his report to Chief Supt. Edgardo Ladao, Central Luzon Police director, Tinio said the two riders fired at the pursuing lawmen using caliber .45 pistols, triggering an exchange of gunfire kill ing them on the spot.
Ladao commended Tinio and the Bacolor Police Station for a job well done.
“Pampanga police anti-criminality checkpoints are focused not only on major thoroughfares but also on interior roads where suspects riding on motorcycles commonly spot their targets,” the Pampanga police said in a statement.
Supt. Joan Ponseca-Rosales, PPO information Officer, said the firefight lasted for few minutes leaving two persons dead.
Scene of the Crime Operatives led by Chief Insp. Angel Timario processed the place of incident accompanied by Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Cleofe de Guzman who initiated an on-site inquest against the slain gunmen.
One of the suspects, Ponseca-Rosales said was described as wearing plain white T-shirt, khaki short pants and about 30-40 years old, 5’3”-5’4” in height while the other was in sleeveless dark brown printed shirt, and blue checkered shorts with tattoo on the upper portion of his arm and about 25-35 years old and approximately 5’6”-5’8” tall.
Recovered at the crime scene include two caliber .45 pistols, two spent shells for the same kind of firearms, a blue Honda 155 TMX motorcycle without license plates, two empty shells of Caliber 5.56 or Armalite rifle, an empty shell for caliber .9mm, 93 copies of extortion letter with “ Bagong Hukbong Bayan” logo and headings “Palermo Ortanez Command” and at the lowest portion of the letter marked “Ka Terry”.
The recovered items were brought to Regional Crime Laboratory Office 3 here for custody while the motorcycle was turned over Bacolor Police Station.
The Palermo Ortanez Command of the NPA covers Pampanga province and is reportedly based in Floridablanca town. Police said as of 2008, the command was under the leadership of one Jose Jackson Carmen, aka Roman, Arman, Tanda, Pepe.
