Rebel leader’s son nabbed in SM mall faces charges

BAGUIO CITY – The son of the spokesman of the underground Cordillera People’s Democratic Front, who has a P700,00 bounty,  is facing court charges for murder after he was arrested Monday by police and military intelligence agents here at SM Mall.

Chief Supt. Benjamin Magalong, Cordillera police director, confirmed Thursday the arrest of Grayson Magranga Naogsan aka Jose/Jayson/Fagway/Cynthian, allegedly a political officer of the Abra Provincial Party Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army Ilocos Cordillera Regional Committee and an alleged member of the Kilusang Larangang Guerilya Maco ICRC and the East Chico Line Team of the communist rebels.

Grayson, son of CPDF spokesman Simon Naogsan, faces one frustrated murder and two murder cases in various courts in Mt. Province.

The young Naogsan was reportedly taken by operatives of the Regional Intelligence Unit 14, Regional Intelligence Division of the Cordillera police, Baguio City and Mt. Province police and Military Intelligence Group 1 of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP).

Earlier, family members and the Baguio City-based human rights group Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA) were reportedly alarmed after Naogsan went “missing.”

But Magalong said intelligence agents took Naogsan, at around 3:30 p.m. last Monday while he and a companion were having coffee here at Mister Donut located at the 3^rd floor of SM City Baguio around 3:20 p.m. Monday.

Naogsan and his companion, the CHRA said, were shown, at gunpoint, an arrest warrant that bore Naogsan’s name.

Naogsan was handcuffed and was separated from his companion who was then told that Naogsan would be taken to Camp Crame, CHRA spokesman Jude Baggo said. 

Naogsan was reportedly led out of the mall through the backstairs by three of the men who used a jacket to cover his handcuffs. 

Two hours later, Naogsan’s wife reportedly called his cell phone and he said that he was already out of Baguio and was supposedly being brought to Camp Crame. 

Baggo said Naogsan’s wife last heard of him Tuesday morning.

More than five years ago, Naogsan’s brother Simon Jr. was slain in a firefight with government troops in Abra.

Before Naogsan's arrest, Baggo said, two men who identified themselves as CIDG personnel asked for information about Naogsan around their neighborhood and reportedly even implied that there was an amount of P500,000 for any tip on Naogsan.