Charges filed vs 2 NPA leaders for Punzalan slay

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) filed murder charges yesterday against two top leaders of the New People’s Army (NPA) based in Southern Tagalog in connection with last week’s ambush-slaying of Quezon Rep. Marcial Punzalan and his cousin.

Chief Superintendent Nestorio Gualberto, CIDG director, said those charged in the municipal court of Tiaong, Quezon were Tirso "Ka Bart" Alcantara and Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal.

Alcantara is the spokesman of the NPA’s Melito Glor Command operating in Southern Tagalog, which claimed responsibility for the killing of Punzalan and his cousin, Dado Punzalan.

Rosal is the national spokesman of the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA (CPP-NPA).

Superintendent Maximo Malabanan, CIDG’s Southern Tagalog officer, said frustrated murder cases were also filed against Alcantara, Rosal and their men.

Two Marine escorts of Punzalan, who represented Quezon’s second congressional district in the House of Representatives, and a civilian bystander were wounded in the treacherous attack.

"We are filing the charges based on the verbal admission of Ka Bart," Gualberto said.

However, he clarified that the Philippine National Police will continue to pursue its investigation into the case.

"While the NPA admitted the killing, we have several reasons to believe that the rebels were simply hired by the real mastermind," Gualberto said.

Police probers are eyeing at least three angles in the killing — old grudge, political rivalry and Punzalan’s active role in the surrender of former NPA chief Hector Mabilangan to the government.

Following his surrender, Mabilangan, who had headed the NPA’s Banahaw Command, was executed in Sto. Tomas, Batangas by NPA hit men reportedly on orders of Ka Roger.

Punzalan and his party were fired upon in the evening of May 11 while disembarking from their vehicle in the Tiaong town plaza. They were to attend a political rally of the solon’s wife, Lynnette, who is seeking to succeed him as representative for Quezon’s second congressional district.