SECURITY forces arrested on Tuesday night three female New People’s Army rebels, one of them a ranking leader, and a civilian in Cagayan for murder and other charges, the military reported yesterday.
Maj. Ericson Bulosan, spokesman of the AFP’s Northern Luzon Command based in Tarlac City, identified the three as Violeta Ricardo, alias Issa; Cristeta Migue Garcia, alias Senyang; Delilah Padilla, alias Domay Saganay; and civilian Carol Ballesta.
Bulosan said Ricardo is the deputy secretary of the CPP-NPA’s Northern Front Committee and head of the Regional Finance of the Komiteng Rehiyon-Cagayan Valley while Padilla is a staff member of the Komiteng Rehiyon-Cagayan Valley.
Bulosan said the three were arrested by forces from Nolcom’s Joint Task Force Tala and PNP based on standing warrants for murder, frustrated murder, direct assault, and robbery.
Police Col. Santiago Pascual, chief of the CIDG’s regional field unit 2, said Ricardo and Garcia were arrested in a safehouse in Gattaran, Cagayan at around 7 p.m. based on warrants of arrest for murder and for violation of the Anti-Carnapping Law. Ricardo has a P2.4M reward for her capture.
Next to be arrested in another operation were Padilla and Ballesta in Barangay Leonarda, Tuguegagaro City. Padilla has a P700,000 bounty on her head.
In Samar, government forces seized an NPA camp after a clash with NPA rebels in Sitio Bagti, Manlilinab in Basey town on Tuesday morning, according to Capt. Reynaldo Aragones, spokesman of the Army’s 8th Infantry Division based in the province.
Aragones said the 30-man rebel group withdrew after a 45-minute firefight.
