THE Kabankalan City Police Station in Negros Occidental has filed three charges on Tuesday, April 2, against an alleged leader and two members of the New People’s Army, following their arrest initiated by the military troops on Monday, April 1 in Barangay Tampalon.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Jonel Guadalupe, city police chief, said charges for illegal possession of explosives, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, and violation of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) gun ban were filed at 6 p.m. before the City Prosecutor’s Office against alleged NPA leader Abraham Villanueva, Rona Magbanua, and Joemar Villarojo.

Villanueva, who is an alleged front secretary of South West Front (SWF) or the NPA in the sixth district of the province, has pending criminal cases for arson, murder, and frustrated murder.

The three suspects were arrested after military troops received reports about the presence of alleged armed men in the said village.

It was followed by a 20-minute firefight between the military and the suspected rebels early Tuesday, as an offshoot to their apprehension.

Recovered by the Army during the operation were two firearms, grenades, several ammunition, gadgets, medical kit, list for NPA extortion activities, and other subversive documents.

Guadalupe said the suspects are detained at the police station while they are waiting for their commitment order.

He said security was intensified at the station and some military are also deployed in the area.

“We are always on alert especially since it’s election period,” he added. (GYM)