Two ranking police officers yesterday said arrested rebel leader Marvin Mata has not confessed to involvement in the recent ambush of Mayor-elect Magdaleno Peña in Pulupandan, Negros Occidental.

Senior Supt. Pedro Merced, 6th Regional Mobile Group director, yesterday belied reports that Mata admitted his participation in the ambush. "I was there during the tactical interrogation. He (Mata) denied participation in the ambush of Peña," Merced said.

Peña had earlier said that Mata was among the gunmen who ambushed him in Pulupandan on May 30, leaving two of his companions dead.

He claimed that Mata, armed with an M-16 assault rifle, was one of those who jumped out of a blue vehicle and fired at his convoy, hitting the right windshield of the green Expedition he was riding.

Peña also said he was informed that Mata admitted that his political opponent, Samson Mondia, had hired him as a security man in March.

Senior Supt. Rosendo Franco, provincial police director, also debunked reports that Mata had confessed to the ambush.

Franco admitted that he received raw information on the presence of rebels in Pulupandan before the May 14 elections, but said it is unverified up to now.

Mata who was tagged by the military and police as the commander of the New People's Army Regional Operational Command and head of its liquidation unit, and Arturo Fabiona, alleged intelligence officer of the Komiteng Rehiyonal- Negros, were intercepted and arrested at a police checkpoint along the highway of Talisay City, on June 12.

On Thursday, Fabiona was released by his captors who are 6th RMG troopers, because he has no pending arrest warrant. Merced said Mata will soon be remitted to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology since he has a pending arrest warrant, and was denied bail by Judge Moises Nifras for robbery-in-band charges.*GPB

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