Reds hold 5 gov’t engineers hostage in Isabela

ISABELA — Communist rebels held five government engineers for almost eight hours and killed a soldier in an ambush in Isabela, the military said yesterday.

The rebels, led by one Lourdes Bulan alias Ka Simang, seized the engineers belonging to the provincial engineering office, led by Nicasio Tabago, while they were going to the site of the proposed new district hospital in Sitio Casisiitan, Barangay Minanga in San Mariano town at about 11 a.m. last Tuesday.

Lt. Col. Preme Monta, spokesman of the Armed Forces’ Northern Luzon Command, said the engineers had come from the San Mariano municipal hall to coordinate with San Mariano Mayor Jesus Miranda about the construction of the hospital when the insurgents flagged them down and held them for almost eight hours.

Monta said Tabago’s group was released at about 6:50 p.m. "The NPA (New People’s Army) proved once again that they are worse than bandits," Monta said. "The incident is another form of NPA harassment designed to ward off any government projects in the area."

Monta said the rebels could have demanded "revolutionary taxes" from the provincial engineers.

Meanwhile, reports reaching Camp Melchor de la Cruz said the NPA waylaid last Tuesday a platoon of government troopers on routine patrol at the boundary of Barangays Mabbayad and Villa Rey in Echague town.

Maj. Pablo Lorenzo, an intelligence officer of the Army’s 5th Infantry Division, said the ambush left Cpl. Jaime Tumamao dead and one Pfc. Sobrepeña wounded. Both Tumamao and Sobrepeña belonged to the 502nd Infantry Brigade.

The military said the soldiers managed to return fire, exacting casualties on the rebels’ side.

The ambushers were believed to be members of the Benito Tesorio Command of the NPA’s Southern Cagayan Valley Front, which the military had held responsible for last year’s ambush-slaying of Mayor Jesus Sebastian of Jones town.