NPA slain in Oriental Mindoro clash wanted for murder raps

CITY OF CALAPAN – Police said the New People’s Army (NPA) member who was killed in an encounter in Mansalay town in Oriental Mindoro province Saturday morning was wanted for multiple murder and multiple frustrated murder cases with a P500,000 bounty on his head.

Supt. Socrates Faltado, Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan (Mimaropa) police information officer, identified him as Rustom Simbulan, alias “Bobby/Silang/Bayani” 48, a platoon leader of the NPA’s Kilusang Larangang Guerilla Central.

Simbulan had warrants of arrest issued against him by the Regional Trial Court in Calapan City.

Simbulan was killed in the encounter between NPA rebels and the 403rd Regional Mobile Force Batallion Mimaropa and Philippine Army soldiers in Sitio (sub-village) Uraray in Barangay (village) Waygan at 4:45 a.m.

Police also believed that Simbulan was the leader of the rebels involved in the destruction of heavy construction equipment of Sta. Clara Hydro Electric Power Plant in Naujan town on Feb. 26 and the foiled raid of the Premium Megastructures Aggregates in Gloria town on Feb. 28, where a policeman was killed.

Recovered from Simbulan’s possession were a caliber .45 pistol and two magazines with 15 live bullets.

As of 1:22 p.m. Saturday, clearing operations were still ongoing.