4 ‘revo tax’ collectors held in Cavite

LUCENA CITY—Four suspected “revolutionary tax” collectors of the New People’s Army (NPA) were arrested by policemen in General Trias town in Cavite province on Monday, police said on Tuesday.

The four suspects were held after a brief chase in Barangay Javalera of the town around 12:30 a.m., according to the report released on Tuesday by the Cavite Provincial Police Office.

Insp. Artemio Cinco, head of of the General Trias police intelligence unit, said in a separate phone interview Tuesday that the suspects were revolutionary tax, or “revo tax,” collectors in the province.

“Based on our initial investigation they are on a revo tax collection mission,” Cinco said in a phone interview.

The Cavite police report identified the four as George Bruce, 33, from Lemery, Batangas province; Jose Nayve, 53, of GMA, Cavite; Romel Nuñez, 30, of Dasmariñas City, Cavite; and Armando Matres, 38, of Lipa City, Batangas.

The identities were provided by the suspects themselves, according to PO2 Christian Neil Cuevas, the case officer.

The report said PO1 Jonathan Dinglasan, a town policeman, happened to be nearby when one of the suspects, using an improvised explosive device, blew up a manhole cover of the Globe Telecom communication cables along Barangay Javalera.

After the bombing, the suspects escaped aboard a Nissan Urvan van (ZFD 262) but they were chased by Dinglasan who was then on his way home driving a private vehicle. While giving chase, Dinglasan informed the police community precinct in nearby Barangay Manggahan, through his mobile phone, of the incident.

The responding policemen blocked the road that forced the suspects to alight from the van and scamper toward a grassy area where they were eventually cornered by the lawmen.

When lawmen searched the van, they found a .45 cal. pistol, 106 live ammunition and four magazines; a 9mm pistol with 17 bullets and one magazine; two pieces of blasting caps, one detonator switch and manual, four energizer batteries and cable wires; eight units of mobile phones; one “extortion” letter addressed to an “Aling Adeling” with the letterhead “Bagong Hukbong Bayan” and other documents that police described as “subversive.”

Meanwhile, the bombing destroyed the manhole and caused temporary disruption to Globe’s service in the area, the police said.

The suspects were detained at the General Trias police jail.

Last month, five suspected NPA members on a “permit to campaign” (PTC) and revo tax collection mission were killed in an encounter with a government troop in Nasugbu, Batangas.

A military report said the slain rebels were part of a rebel unit from Mindoro Island reportedly tasked to collect revo tax and PTC fees from candidates in next year’s elections in the Southern Tagalog area.