Reds to investigate Ormoc killings

MALOLOS, Bulacan — Communist rebels promised to investigate the killing of three employees of Philippine National Oil Corporation (PNOC) and two policemen in an attack in the government-run Tonongan geothermal plant in Ormoc City last Friday to find out if their members should be held accountable.

Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) spokesman told The STAR in a telephone interview yesterday that they would conduct a probe on the incident because the death of innocent civilians in their tactical offensives is a violation of their rules.

He said that as of yesterday the NPA leadership has yet to receive information whether communist rebels operating in Ormoc City were indeed the ones who carried out the attack.

Rosal said that if the NPA investigating body proves the involvement of their members in the attack, he said they are willing to take the necessary measures to seek forgiveness from the family of the victims and to punish those responsible for the tragedy.

The rebel spokesman said that based on their rules, civilians should be protected in times of armed attacks against their legitimate targets, which Rosal said, is primarily the military. "Kung hindi military ang target, dapat ipaliwanag ng unit commander kung bakit kinakailangang isagawa ang pag-atake (If the military is not the target, the unit commander should justify the attack)," he said.