Top Negros NPA rebel leader arrested
Credit to Author: EUGENE Y. ADIONG| Date: Thu, 04 Apr 2019 04:18:23 +0000
BACOLOD City: A top leader of the of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Negros Occidental and two others were arrested by the Army and police forces on Tuesday at Sitio Ilawod,
Barangay Tampalon, Kabankalan City based on a standing warrant of arrest for arson and frustrated murder.
A report from the 303rd Brigade of the Philippine Army identified the arrested rebel as Abraham Villanueva, alias Tikboy and Gamay, reportedly the secretary of the NPA Southwest Front in Candoni-Hinoba-an-Ilog, Cauayan-Kabankalan-Sipalay (Chicks) area.
The two other alleged NPA members arrested with Villanueva were identified as Rona “Cheche” Magbanua, 18, of Barangay Asia, Hinoba-an and Jomar “Tiny” Villarojo, 28, of Barangay Camansi, Kabankalan City.
The suspects wore black NPA sweatshirts printed with PKP or Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas@50 and black jogging pants when captured.
Recovered from them were a caliber .45 pistol with magazine with am munition and three hand grenades.
That day, the 15th Infantry Battalion conducted pursuit operations and encountered about 20 NPA members at around 5:50 a.m. on Tuesday in Barangay Tampalon where a 20-minute firefight ensued.
The rebels later withdrew towards Sitio Amian Ilawod of the same barangay (village), leaving behind assorted firearms and personal items.
The combat operations were conducted by the joint elements of the Army’s 15th Infantry Battalion, 604th PNP Regional Mobile Force Company and Kabankalan City PNP.
Meanwhile, 11 suspected NPA members were arrested on Monday after a clash between the rebels and government forces in Barangay Quintin Remo in Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental.
Brig. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, did not identify the suspects, but confirmed they were captured by Moises Padilla police, who served as blocking force during the battle.
Arevalo said the suspected rebels appeared before the police officers as the Army troops launched mortars at the encounter site in Sitio Santos-Santos in Barangay Quintin Remo.
He added the police officers started to become suspicious of the men as they came from the direction of the encounter site.
Their story as to their identities was not convincing as the suspects claimed they were working as sugarcane cutters, even though they were not carrying machetes or farm tools.
The suspects also gave different names to the police officers, further arousing suspicion that they are part of the rebel group that figured in a gun battle with soldiers.
The suspects were transported to the Moises Padilla Municipal Police Station for questioning.
Later, witnesses positively identified one of the suspects as the gunman in the murder of town Councilor Jolomar Hilario last Sunday, while another was in the military’s file of suspected rebels.
“The group is among the gunmen involved in Hilario’s murder and the police have now filed charges against them,” Arevalo said.
Earlier on Monday, soldiers from the Philippine Army’s 62nd Infantry Battalion engaged in a gun battle with the NPA rebels.
Arevalo believes the rebels involved in the fight were part of the NPA Central Negros Front.
Around 1,700 residents were forced to flee during the battle.
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