AN alleged “enemy spy” has been executed by members of the Arnulfo Ortiz Command of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Western Samar.

Elizabeth Gutierrez, who was arrested by the NPA on October 24 in barangay Cancaiyas, Basey town, was killed owing to her “sins against the revolutionary movement,” defrocked priest Santiago Salas, spokesman for the National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas, (NDF-EV) said in a statement released by the information bureau of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

“The NDF-EV has been informed by the Arnulfo Ortiz Command that the maximum penalty was meted [out] on enemy spy Elizabeth Gutierrez,” Salas said.

“It was a counterespionage operation and had nothing to do with the village elections, contrary to the military’s claim. As an enemy spy, Gutierrez was not a mere civilian but a combatant, a legitimate target for punitive action by the NPA,” the former priest added.

Salas said that even before the NPA carried out the “counterespionage operation against Gutierrez,” the revolutionary government had already issued an arrest order against her as early as September 2006 on espionage charges.

Gutierrez and her husband, Norberto Gacuma, were former members of the NPA, but they allegedly turned against the movement and acted as military intelligence agents.

Gutierrez and her husband were accused by the NPA of collaboration with the Army’s 62nd Infantry Battalion under Lt. Col. Jonathan Ponce in the alleged abduction of activist couple Juliet Fernandez and Manuel Pajarito on May 11 in Samar.

Both remain missing to date.

Salas said that espionage is regarded by the NPA as a “war crime” because of the “use of ruse and perfidy.”

The communist underground movement regularly kill former members it accused of “espionage.”

In the ’80s and ’90s, the CPP-NPA killed hundreds of cadres who were accused of being government deep penetration agents.

Up to the 2000s, mass graves were still being found in the hinterlands of Samar, Bicol and Mindanao.

The government has filed cases against the leaders of the CPP-NPA at the time of the killings.

Salas said that Gutierrez was also involved in various cases of enforced disappearances, torture, harassment and economic disruption that were allegedly committed this year by the military in the villages of Basey.

The NPA said Gutierrez’s body will be returned to her relatives.

CHIEF Justice Reynato Puno said on Monday that the writ of habeas data, the third legal remedy that is expected to counter enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, is likely to be implemented before the end of the year.

THE National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) on Monday filed four counts of murder and 12 counts of frustrated murder charges against three suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits in connection with the November 13 bombing of the South Wing of the Batasan Complex which killed four people, including a congressman, and injured several others.

AN alleged “enemy spy” has been executed by members of the Arnulfo Ortiz Command of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Western Samar.

TAXPAYERS will cough up some P2.066 billion in interest and principal payments this year for loans used to implement 17 telecommunications projects including rural telephones without dial tones.

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) disqualified on Monday a party-list organization after gathering evidence that the group is being used as a front by a religious organization.

VIRAC, Catanduanes—Torrential rains triggered landslides on this island during the past four weeks, crippling transportation in the province.

THE National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) will let industry stakeholders propose the fee the regulator should charge handset manufacturers and suppliers for every mobile phone that will be registered with the commission.