By Jennifer P. Rendon
An alleged New People’s Army (NPA) leader in Mindanao was arrested in a joint police and military operation morning of Sept 14, 2022 in Barotac Viejo, Iloilo.
Police identified the suspect as Leo Lacumbo, 49, a native of Barangay Tuburan, Tulunan, North Cotabato but temporarily residing at Barangay Santiago, Barotac Viejo town.
Lacumbo, who also goes by the aliases Ole, Oli, and Liang, is tagged as a “high-value individual” (HVI) and listed on the period status report (PSR), or the government’s watchlist of NPA personalities, for the second quarter of 2021.
He is believed to be the commanding officer of the CPP-NPA’s Regional Operational Command (ROC) and 1st Deputy Secretary of the Southern Mindanao Regional Party Committee (SMRC).
The arresting team included members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)-Region 6, CIDG-Iloilo City and Iloilo provincial field units, the Regional Intelligence Division, Iloilo Police Provincial Office-Provincial Intelligence Branch (IPPO-PIB), IPPO 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company, Barotac Viejo Municipal Police Station, Passi City MPS, New Bataan MPS, Davao de Oro Provincial Police Office, the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, 301st Infantry Brigade, 10th Infantry Division.
Major Jess Baylon, CIDG-Iloilo City chief, said Latumbo was on board a motorcycle when he was intercepted around 10:10 a.m. Wednesday at the national highway in Barangay San Juan, Barotac Viejo.
He was with his nephew, Jeffrey Alemania, 33, a resident of Barangay Ungka Uno, Pavia, Iloilo but also hails from Tulunan, North Cotabato.
Under the direct supervision of Brigadier General Leo Francisco, combined PNP and Philippine Army units served three warrants of arrest against Lacumbo.
The fugitive rebel leader is wanted for attempted murder in Criminal Case Numbers 84-2022, 85-2022-86-2022 and 129 to 30-2022.
Judge Carmel Gil Grado of the Regional Trial Court Branch 56 in Compostela, Davao De Oro issued the arrest warrant on June 28, 2022 and Sept. 5, 2022, respectively.
A P72,000 bail was recommended for each count.
Alemania was also arrested after a fragmentation hand grenade was seized from his possession.
Police also confiscated from Lacumbo’s possession a caliber .45 pistol with steel magazine assembly loaded with 7 ammunitions, a BIR-TIN identification card, a hand grenade, a brown wallet with cash of ap50, and sling with personal hygiene items, and a Honda RS motorcycle.
CHARGES
According to reports, Lacumbo is the alleged No. 1 most wanted person of New Bataan MPS and the Davao de Oro province.
The suspect allegedly went into hiding following the relentless combat operations of the Army’s 10th ID against remnants of SMRC in Davao Region.
On top of that, authorities tagged him in various attacks against government troops, and civilian and private companies.
He was allegedly one of the suspects who attacked Loreto Municipal Police Station in Agusan del Sur on Dec. 22, 2005 wherein rebels seized 15 high-powered firearms.
He was also involved in the raid of a patrol base in Barangay Nueva Gracia, Loreto town on June 8, 2005.
Lacumbo was also named a suspect in the disarming of security guards of Esfina Flower Farm in Barangay Carmen, Baguio Dist, Davao City.
He was also a suspect in the killing of a certain Kito Melody, a barangay chairman and a tribal leader in Columbio, Sultan Kudarat, on June 8, 2010.
Lacumbo, along with a certain Eric Jun Castillo, Secretary of SMRC, allegedly ordered the killing of their wounded comrade Crispin Pagas Rollon, a member of SMRC headquarters at Sitio Liboton, Barangay Andap, New Bataan in February 2020.
Rollon’s body was exhumed on May 12, 2022.
