Judge dismisses raps vs alleged NPA leader in Negros

MANILA,Philippines — A Negros Occidental judge has dismissed robbery-in-band charges against a ranking member of the New People’s Army (NPA) for lack of evidence, an online news site reported Saturday. Visayan Daily Star (www.visayandailystar.com) reported that Judge Catherine Go dismissed the cases against Marvin Mata, a.k.a. Bong, for a raid of a police outpost in Malasibog village in Escalante City in 2006. Mata’s lawyer Romeo Subaldo Sr. filed for a demurrer to evidence, citing the weakness of the accusations against him. But the Negros Occidental Provincial Police Office said the dismissal of the charges against Mata will serve as a starting point for them to strengthen their other cases against arrested suspected NPAs. Police arrested Mata, supposedly the deputy secretary of the Komiteng Rehiyonal-Negros, in Talisay City on June 12, 2007. He was also tagged in the ambush of Pulupandan Mayor Magdaleno Peña in June 2007. - GMANews.TV