Getaway vehicle of assassins in Albay ambush recovered

LEGAZPI CITY — Police recovered yesterday the getaway vehicle of the killers of an anti-communist critic and his two army escorts, who were gunned down by suspected communist guerrillas in Barangay Iraya Sur, Oas, Albay on Monday.

Police Inspector Romulo Bilan, Oas police chief, said that the light blue Hyndai van, with license plates EVL-148, was owned by a certain Odelon Nieva, 48, of Barangay Tagaytay in Camalig town.

Nieva told police that two men hired the vehicle for P700 but upon arrival in Barangay Libas in Guinobatan town, they took in three more companions and drove off, leaving him with three armed men who brought him to a mountainous area.

The assassins changed the license plates of the van to WUB-641. However, upon verification at the Land Transformation Office, the number was found out to be not in existence.

The van is now under the custody of the Oas town police.

Lawyer Ricardo Nepomoceno, 33, leader of the Kilusang Kontra Komunista (KKK); his driver Sgt. Pampelo Belacuro and security escort Pfc. Richard Llupar of the 22nd Infantry Batallion were on board a white Nissan Sentra about 50 meters from Nepomuceno’s residence when the blue Hyundai Starex van blocked the victims’ car at about 8:30 a.m. on Monday.

Three New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in fatigue uniforms reportedly dashed out of the van and fired at Nepomuceno and his companions.

Nepomuceno and his driver died on the spot while Llupar died on arrival at the Josefina Belmonte District Hospital in Barangay Tuburan, Ligao City.

Nepomuceno reportedly got the ire of the Communist movement in Albay for openly denouncing the killing of civilians suspected by the rebels of passing information to the Army or police. He also blamed the movement for the lingering poverty in the Bicol region.