Marine slain by NPA captors?

ANGELES CITY — The Armed Forces Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) is checking reports that New People’s Army (NPA) rebels have killed a Marine whom they abducted from his home in Guagua, Pampanga last Nov. 24.

Col. Preme Monta, Nolcom spokesman, quoted a "very reliable deep penetration agent" as saying that the body of Marine T/Sgt. Marlon Oronan was dumped somewhere in the boundary of the towns of Guagua, Lubao and Sasmuan in Pampanga the other day.

Nolcom soldiers dispatched to the area, however, failed to find Oronan’s remains as of press time.

Last Thursday, Nolcom issued a statement quoting its commander, Maj. Gen, Romeo Tolentino, as condemning "the brutal and senseless killing" of Oronan who was snatched as he, along with his two children aged nine and two, was tending his garden in Barangay Pulung Masle, Guagua town.

While the informant is "highly reliable," Monta said military authorities wanted to verify the information which could just be part of "psychological warfare."

"It could be that the NPA is merely pressuring the family to plead the government to negotiate Oronan’s release. But the military is firm in its policy not to negotiate in such cases," he said.

Another military man, Air Force Maj. Neptune Eliquin, remains in the hands of the NPA. He was abducted in Floridablanca, Pampanga last June 2.

The National Democratic Front has demanded a cessation of military operations in Central Luzon as a condition for Eliquin’s release.

Quoting its informant, Nolcom said Oronan might have gotten the ire of his captors, led by Jose Jackson Carmen, alias Ka Roman, secretary of the Kilusang Larangan Gerilya of the NPA’s northwestern Pampanga district committee, for refusing to divulge military information to the rebels.

"(Oronan’s) vast training and experience as a soldier made it extremely difficult for the NPA to get what they wanted because notwithstanding the torture and humiliation he was subjected to since his captivity, the only information they obtained from him were his rank, name and serial number," the Nolcom said in its statement.

Monta said Nolcom officials have talked with Oronan’s wife, Lily, although he did not disclose what was discussed.

"The families of soldiers are prepared for such contingencies," he said.

Because of Oronan’s refusal to divulge military information, Nolcom said, "A certain Ka Satur sent word to the leaders of the local terrorist groups to execute the soldier, which they did without any hesitation and in full bravado."

Nolcom said the same Ka Satur "was the one who gave P5 million for the purchase of explosives and to finance the training of NPA rebels in bomb-making in relation to the destabilization plot against the Arroyo administration."

Oronan belonged to the 6th Marine Battalion based in Lanao del Norte. He was on one-month leave to be with his family in Guagua when he was abducted.

Monta earlier said the military was willing to grant safe conduct passes to NPA guerrillas should they decide to surrender Oronan and Eliquin.

"The best we can offer are safe conduct passes for the rebels in the course of their turning over their victims," Monta said. — With Len Espinosa, Ric Sapnu and Jaime Laude