Ranking NPA leaders nabbed in Nueva Ecija

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) arrested four high ranking members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) over the weekend in Nueva Ecija.

In a statement, PAF Public Information Office (PIO) chief Lt. Col. Restituto Padilla identified the four suspects as Marivic Jandoc Lagasca de Guzman, alias Aiza, Lyka; Roz and Riza, secretary general of KLG-F3, Nueva Ecija Party Committee (Isetann); Narciso de Guzman, Marivic’s husband, alias Jerry; Deck, platoon leader, Partisan Unit, Execom, Nueva Ecija Party Committee; Rizaldy Pascua, alias Omar, Commanding Officer, 3rd Platoon, Provincial Organizational Committee; and Ana Jandoc Pascua, alias Agnes, political guide and staff member of the Nueva Ecija Provincial Party Committee.

Marivic and Ana are sisters and both married to NPA leaders.

The PAF said the latest accomplishment of the air force comes at the heels of the successful air strike made by the PAF against the kidnap-for-ransom group of Tahir Alonto in Mindanao during a joint Philippine National Police-Philippine Air Force-Philippine Army-Philippine Marines operation in the Liguasan Marsh in Cotabato.

They said that acting on a series of intelligence reports for the past several months, a case operation was launched by the PAF Intelligence Operatives that culminated in the neutralization of the communist leaders in the municipalities of Gabaldon and Sta. Rosa, all in Nueva Ecija last Aug. 14.

The suspects were formally presented yesterday to Lt. Gen. Jose Reyes, PAF Commanding General, by Air Force Intelligence at the Headquarters of the PAF in Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

The four suspects vowed to cooperate with the government and were immediately accepted in the program for rebel returnees.

Reyes described the recent arrest as a major breakthrough in the government’s internal security efforts in Central Luzon.

The PAF said the KLG-F3 is a CPP/NPA guerrilla front covering the municipalities of Guimba, Cuyapo, Talugtog, Sto. Domingo, Quezon, Licab and Muñoz, all of Nueva Ecija. — With Jaime Laude