By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The Himamaylan City police and members of the Philippine Army 62nd Infantry Battalion (62IB) served arrest warrants yesterday morning against five individuals, including a pastor, for suspected links with the New People’s Army (NPA) in the city’s Barangay Buenavista.
62IB commander, Lt. Colonel Egberto Dacoscos, identified the arrested suspects as Rodrigo Medez, Eliseo Andres, Jaypee Romano, Jovito Montesino, and Pastor Jimmy Teves of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines.
Dacoscos said the five were arrested for two counts of murder and six counts of frustrated murder.
He said the five are believed to be members of the NPA and were reported to have taken part in last year’s gun battle at Sitio Bunsad in Barangay Tan-awan, Kabankalan City.
The said battle resulted in the deaths of two soldiers and wounded five others.
The five arrested are presently detained at the Himamaylan City Police Station./DGB, WDJ