By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD CITY – A 27-year-old alleged member of the New People’s Army (NPA) was arrested at Purok 3, Barangay Cabacungan, La Castellana, Negros Occidental, on Wednesday.
Police Major Rhojn Darell Nigos, La Castellana police chief, said the suspect was arrested after attempting to flee from authorities during a brief chase.
Nigos explained that the suspect, along with two companions—identified only by the aliases “Budot” and “Weng-Weng”—was driving a motorcycle when they were spotted by military troops.
The Army’s 62nd Infantry Battalion (IB) had been coordinating with the town’s police as they were monitoring two NPA rebels in the area, both holding key positions in Central Negros (CN) 1 at the regional level, Nigos said.
The soldiers followed the motorcycle until the alleged rebels realized they were being pursued. According to Nigos, the two high-ranking rebels, reportedly the front secretary and logistics and finance officer, managed to escape, while their companion was cornered in a nearby sugarcane field.
Nigos added that it took six months of monitoring to confirm the rebels’ presence in the area.
The two fugitives allegedly fired shots as they fled on foot, Nigos said. Both are wanted by authorities and have pending arrest warrants.
Fortunately, no one was injured during the incident, Nigos confirmed.
Police recovered a .45 caliber pistol, a magazine loaded with five rounds of ammunition, and a motorcycle from the arrested suspect.
The arrested individual has been charged with illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, while his two companions will face attempted murder charges.
