The arrest of two alleged ranking leaders of the National Democratic Front in Talisay City was legal and has documents to prove it, an official of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-7 testified in court yesterday.
CIDG-7 operations chief Rex Derilo told Regional Trial Court Judge Gilbert Moises that a joint team of police and military arrested Gerald Labadia and Sharon Abangan in an entrapment at the South Central Market in Talisay City on September 1, 2006.
Derilo, who was put on the witness stand by Talisay City prosecutor William Canta, explained that Lavadia, 34, and Abangan, 33, were arrested because they were engaged into extortion activities victimizing businessmen.
Derilo testified that the two suspected NDF officials were arrested while in the act of receiving P250,000 cash and a brand new laptop computer that they allegedly demanded from Taiheiyo Cement Phils. Inc. based in San Fernando.
The entrapment operation against the two was carried out after the managers of the cement factory sought the help of CIDG-7 after they received letters from a certain Carlito Delmundo, who claimed to be an NDF official.
The letter that was sent to Taiheiyo carries the letterhead of the NDF, the political arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
When the government repealed the anti-subversion law, the NDF was then considered a legal organization unless its members commit other crimes.
Derilo said it was Lavadia who received the black bag containing the laptop and the P250,000 cash from a manager of the factory who met the two NDF men in a pre-arranged meeting.
Aside from the laptop and the marked money, the arresting officers also confiscated from the two suspects’ possession two .45 caliber pistols and a fragmentation grenade.
It was learned that Lavadia, known as Ka Renard and Ka Niko, was reportedly the secretary of the Central Visayas Regional Party Committee’s education and propaganda commission of the rebels while Abangan, also known as Ka Edwin and Ka Alijer, reportedly headed the NPA’s Sparrow Unit.
Derilo vowed to present more evidences during the continuation of his direct examination on December 10. — Rene U. Borromeo/RAE