ABB man in Pring, Zarcal slays falls

Intelligence agents have arrested an alleged ranking leader of the communist urban hit squad Alex Boncayao Brigade (ABB), and accused him of involvement in the murders of two police officers in 1994 and a businessman in 1995.

Acting Armed Forces chief Lt. Gen. Jose Calimlim, who also heads the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, presented to the media yesterday 34-year-old Mirando Francisco Miranda, who is known in the underground movement as "Archie," "Randy," "Bebot," "Diego" and "Bebot Bautista."

Calimlim said Miranda was behind the killings of police Chief Inspectors Timoteo Zarcal and Jose Pring as well as businessman Leonardo Ty.

He said the suspect was arrested Wednesday at around 2 p.m. in front of Casino Manila along the Ninoy Aquino Avenue in Parañaque City. Seized were a caliber .45 automatic, a high capacity magazine containing 14 bullets, subversive documents and computer diskettes.

According to the ISAFP, Miranda was in the order of battle of the defunct Presidential Task Force on Intelligence and Counter-intelligence, with a P500,000 reward for his capture.

"As a member of the ABB, Miranda was involved in a number of liquidation activities, targeting many businessmen as well as soldiers and policemen," Calimlim said.

"Noted among these was the killing of Ty sometime on Dec. 15, 1995 where he acted as the supervisor and back up to the triggerman," he added.

Besides Pring and Zarcal, the acting AFP chief said Miranda was also responsible for the murders of police Inspector Jack Medina on Feb. 28, 1993 in Cupang, Muntinlupa and Army Maj. Rolando Aguila on Dec. 5, 1989 in San Andres, Manila, Calimlim said.

The intelligence chief said Miranda was a regular member of the central committee of the Partido ng Manggagawang Pilipino (PMP) under Felimon "Popoy" Lagman.

Miranda was also chief of the PMP's national military department as well as former head of the ABB's combat intelligence department.

As chief of the military department, Miranda has 14 regulars under his command.

"Further, he was the former head of the intelligence section of the ABB's national operations command and was responsible in the target acquisition requirements of the ABB during the series of assassination operations in the 1990s," Calimlim said.

Intelligence reports said Miranda was a member of the League of Filipino Students in 1983 and was recruited to join the hit squad in 1985.

Calimlim disclosed that Miranda chose to ally himself with Lagman during a leadership crisis within the ABB. Since then, Miranda became Lagman's most trusted man.

The suspect is under the custody of the ISAFP and is being interrogated. Criminal charges are also being readied against Miranda.

While Calimlim was holding a press conference, Miranda's wife Judy Ann created a commotion by shouting at the intelligence chief and other military officers.

She claimed that the handgun seized from her husband was "planted" by intelligence agents and that the arrest was in retaliation for an expose' by a leftist congressman regarding bribes at the House of Representatives.