Task Force vs Private Armies Nabs Two in Masbate

LEGAZPI CITY, Feb.5 -- Operatives of Task Force Masbate collared on Thursday two suspected members of a political armed group (PAGs) operating in the island province of Masbate, with several high powered assault firearms seized in their possession, a Bikol national police official said.

Arrested were Rodnie Gelotin and Jun Lorieta David members of a political armed group under a certain Valenzuela group.

Police Supt. Eliciar Bron, Bikol PNP spokesman, said TF Masbate operatives swooped down a safe house at about 5:30 a.m. Thursday in Uson town in Masbate.

The suspects were not able to resist as they were caught by surprise by the lightning raid conducted by the operatives.

The raiders seized from the suspects a KG9 machine pistol, M16 rifle, rifle grenade, and camouflage uniform.

The raiding team was armed with a search warrant issued by a local court here.

The suspects are detained at the Special Task Force Masbate detention cell.

Shake up

This developed after the newly created Task Force "Masbate" has started shaking up police chiefs in the province to thwart local politician from using the towns' police forces in their campaign.

The move was designed to clear the area with political partisanship among local officials and the police forces in the island province of Masbate known to be a political "tinder box" among the provinces across the country.

Chief Supt. Perfecto Palad, head of the newly created Task Force Masbate, said the revamp was the first series in the run-up to the May national and local election.

It was intended to address the widely held belief that politicians exercise too much influence over the police to the point that the police are being dictated upon in the conduct of their operations.

TF Masbate was formed to oversee the security operations in the province, tagged by military and police as a "hot spot" area due to intense political rivalries and the presence of political armed groups (PAGS) and communist rebels.

PNP Director General Jesus Verzosa, who convened recently the police-led Joint Security Coordinating Center (JSCC) at the police provincial headquarters here, said the task force has 100 specially trained commandos of the PNP Special Action Force aside from the 30 personnel from the police regional headquarters in Legazpi City.

To insulate them from politics, the commandos will directly report to Palad.

Verzosa directed Palad to coordinate all security plans to disband four identified private armies of local politicians who were believed behind many of the killings in the province.

He said the PNP was still validating the existence of eight more non-state forces in the province.

All but five of Masbate's 20 towns have been declared by the PNP as "hot spots."

The PNP chief said additional mobile checkpoints will be set up across the province to disarm unauthorized gun holders.

"It is vital (for us to) maintain a strong presence in Masbate...to break the cycle of election violence in the province," Verzosa said.

Earlier, political killings took a center stage in Masbate where the vice mayors of Milagros and Dimasalang and a provincial board member running for vice mayor of Uson, were killed in recent months.

These killings are feared to be the only first of many killings ahead of the local elections in May, when Rep. Rizalina Seachon-Lanete and Governor Elisa Kho, the spouse of Lanete's arch rival, Rep. Antonio Kho, face off in the gubernatorial race.

Political warlords, who are known to employ private armies that carry out assassinations and counterattacks against their rivals, have for generations competed for political power and the accompanying business riches that government posts in poverty-stricken Masbate offer. (PNA)

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