NPA owns up to RPA-ABB leader slay

CEBU, Philippines - The NDFP (National Democratic Front-Philippines) Panay regional chapter owned up to Dec. 30 killing of Demetrio “Hugo” Capilastique, Jr., regional commander of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB) in Panay Island.

It however denied that it was an ambush aimed at killing Capilastique. Instead, the gunmen were supposed to just arrest the victim but he resisted. “The arresting officers of the NPA were obliged to defend themselves and neutralized Capilastique’s resistance being a dangerous criminal,” the statement claimed.

The arrest was for Capilastique to be brought to the People’s Court to face the charges against him. It added numerous crimes, which Capilastique had an alleged direct hand in or were executed under his command.

Among those are mutiny against the leadership of the NPA, abduction and kidnap-for-ransom, and several murders. They added that since 1994, Capilastique’s group has committed murder and extortion in the towns of Tigbauan, Leon, Tubungan, Guimbal, Janiuay, San Joaquin in the province of Iloilo; in the towns of  Ibajay, Buruanga, Makato and Kalibo in Aklan and in Sibalom and Culasi in Antique.

Senior Supt. Cornelio Salinas, Iloilo provincial director, however said the person who wrote the statement was more dangerous. “It’s very ridiculous. It’s an outright lie. It’s as if they have mastered the art of lying,” he said, adding that the NPA movement tolerated Ka Hugo when he was still with the group.

Police accounts said Capilastique was killed in an ambush December 30 in Badiangan, Iloilo. He died on the spot after three men on board a motorcycle peppered him with bullets while he was cruising Barangay Linaywan. After he fell on his motorcycle, the gunmen again shot and finished him off.

Eight empty shells of caliber .45 pistol were recovered at the crime scene.