TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan – A high-ranking officer of the Northern Front of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA), who had a P500,000 price on his head, was arrested by police operatives here, sources from the Cagayan Valley police regional office confirmed yesterday.
Chief Superintendent Ameto Tolentino, Cagayan Valley police director, confirmed to The STAR that they have already in their custody Pancho Domincil, staff officer of the CPP-NPA’s Northern Front and member of the communist movement’s Cagayan Valley regional party committee, who was nabbed by operatives while about to board a van here on Wednesday evening.
Tolentino said that elements of the police’s regional intelligence and investigation, the Regional Intelligence Office and the Cagayan police office headed by Senior Superintendent Jude Santos were responsible for Domincil’s arrest.
Tolentino declined to reveal any further details about the arrest, except confirming that the high ranking communist leader was already in their custody. He said that further information on circumstances leading to his arrest has to pass through proper channels before being released to the public.
Reliable sources said that Domincil, who was part of the decision and policy making bodies involving administrative and operational activities of the CPP-NPA in Cagayan Valley, was arrested while on his way to Lasam town in the province’s south central part where communist strength and influence is still felt.
Domincil, reportedly did not resist arrest.
Later on the same day, 37-year-old Adrian Melecio, an NPA squad leader operating in the Nueva Vizcaya-Nueva Ecija border, and his 15-year-old son yielded to the Army’s 5th Infantry Division (ID) based in Gamu, Isabela.
Maj. General Melchor Dilodilo, 5th ID chief, said that Melecio, alias Ka Badong, before his surrender was the squad leader of Platoon Bravo-Front-1 for the Nueva Ecija Provincial Committee of the traditionally Maoist CPP, with his son as a member. Both also yielded their firearms, an M14 Armalite rifle and a .22 caliber rifle.
“The NPA leader said that he became restless and disgruntled with the movement after his commanders forced him to make his son join him since they are having a hard time recruiting for members,” the Army said.
Their surrender, considering Melecio’s status in the movement, Dilodilo said, had provided the Army with high-value intelligence regarding the communist operations here, which are vital to the government’s anti-insurgency efforts.
In related developments, Army troops discovered an abandoned NPA camp in remote Barangay Barangobong, Nueva Era, Ilocos Norte earlier this week, a belated Army report showed.
Lt. Col. Roy de Vesa, chief of the Army’s 50th Infantry Battalion based in the Ilocos area, said that his men, led by 2nd Lt. Jimmy Bahil were conducting combat patrol when villagers informed them about the existence of a huge communist enclave in their area.
The abandoned camp, the Army report said, composed of a conference hall, some 10 makeshift huts which could accommodate at least 20 persons, a kitchen, and a potable water source. Also discovered were propaganda materials that include a list of names of government personalities, including military officials in the NPA’s order of battle.