Wanted female NPA, 4 others fall
FIVE alleged members of the New People’s Army (NPA) a female and four new recruits, were arrested in a police checkpoint along the national highway of Mabinay road at Barangay 9 in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental on October 26.
Members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) served an arrest warrant for murder against Mary Grace Delicano, 44, of Barangay Sum-ag, Bacolod City.
The warrant with no bail was issued by Judge Fernando Elumba of Regional Trial Court Branch 61 in Kabankalan City on December 11, 2012.
Delicano was driving a Toyota Innova when she was flagged down by authorities for a checkpoint.
She was with Erick James Rufino, 24; Wildie Adal, 22; Arnold Villegas, 29; and Richard Serapin, 19, all residents of Cebu City, who were believed to be new recruits of the rebel group.
In a press release of the Third Infantry Division of the Philippine Army based in Jamindan, Capiz, Delicano is an executive committee member of the Negros Island Regional Party Committee.
She is also in charge of the Regional Education Department that controls the Regional Instruction Staff which is responsible for the Communist Party education and training within the island, production of manuals, publications, leaflets and conduct of research works.
Delicano is also the incumbent front secretary of the Central Negros Front 2 (CN2), an NPA group that operates in Central Negros, and an alleged former organizer of the National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW).
Authorities recovered from their possessions a vehicle, laptop, tablet, two flash drives, a hard drive, medical supplies, three notebooks, cellular phones, and other subversive documents with high intelligence value.
They were turned over to Kabankalan City Police Station.
Lieutenant Colonel Egberto Dacoscos, commanding officer of the 62nd Infantry Battalion (IB), in a press statement, said, “the capture of Delicano is a proof that the NPA ideology is an ideology of criminals. Having a criminal record of murder as the lead educator of the communist ideology puts their teachings under inquiry."
Dacoscos also reiterated its call to the communist rebels to return to the fold of law.
“We encourage those who still embrace the violent way of life to lay down their arms,” Dacoscos said.
The army, community, and other government agencies are very much willing to help in their transformation towards a new and peaceful life, he added.
Last week, another NPA member was also arrested by virtue of an arrest warrant for multiple frustrated murder at his residence in Barangay Camindangan, Sipalay City on October 23. The court has set a bail of P200,000 for his provisional liberty.
Ronald Lahay-Lahay, 32, an alleged member of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-New People’s Army (NPA)-National Democratic Front (NDF)-Samahang Partido ng Pilipinas (SPP), South West Front (SWF), is a companion of Joebert Herrera, who was also earlier served with two warrants for multiple frustrated murder and murder at his residence in Barangay Camindangan on October 4.
Meanwhile, five alleged NPA members were released from detention on October 24, two days after they were arrested at Barangay Cod-cod, San Carlos City after military troopers failed to immediately bring them to the police station for the inquest proceedings of the criminal complaint. ( GYM)