DAVAO CITY?The Communist New People?s Army (NPA) has owned the killing of a military intelligence agent whose name had figured in the abduction and murder of Rebelyn Pitao, daughter of top NPA leader Leoncio Pitao or Commander Parago.

Simon Santiago, political director of the NPA in Southern Mindanao, said Cpl. Orlando Pedregosa was supposed to be arrested by the NPA?s Pulang Bagani Command, which is headed by Parago, but he resisted and fought it out with the rebels.

Santiago said the incident happened in a gambling house contrary to the statement of the 10th Infantry Division that Pedregosa was attacked while attending a religious activity in a church in Barangay Malabog in Paquibato District at past 1 p.m.

Santiago said the arresting team was forced to shoot Pedregosa after he resisted. He died while his bodyguards, identified as Jeffrey Labtic and Jolito Atig, were wounded.
Capt. Emmanuel Garcia, chief of the Public Affairs Office of the 10th ID, said the two were not Pedregosa?s bodyguards but civilians.
Parago earlier named Pedregosa as one of the suspects in the kidnapping and murder in March of Rebelyn, a high school teacher.

The killing prompted the Commission on Human Rights to conduct a public inquiry. Military intelligence agents denied the allegation while testifying behind drapes.

One of them was Pedregosa, who had said he learned about the death of Rebelyn only from the media.

The NPA team also sighted in the area other suspects in the killing of Rebelyn, Santiago said. He identified them as Cpl. Winnie Carampatana and one Sergeant Zenith.
The two quickly fled, he said.

Maj. Gen. Reynaldo Mapagu, commander of the 10th ID, condemned the killing of Pedregosa and the wounding of two others.

?We pray that the wheel of justice grind in the interest of truth,? Mapagu said. Jeffrey M. Tupas, Inquirer Mindanao