Top Bicol rebel captured in Bulacan cockpit

LEGAZPI CITY – Army and police intelligence agents captured the secretary of the Albay provincial party committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) in a cockpit in Sta. Maria, Bulacan Wednesday afternoon, the military said.

Lt. Col. Leoncio Sirunay, commanding officer of the Army’s 65th Infantry Battalion based in Ligao City, identified the ranking communist leader as Iglecio Pernia, alias Ka Choy, who carried a bounty of P1 million from the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and an additional P500,000 from the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Sirunay said Pernia faces five criminal cases before the municipal trial courts of Ligao-Oas and the 5th Judicial Division here. Two of the cases involved highway robbery and arson.

“We have been closely following his movements based on (information from) our assets in the communist movement as well as from NPA (returnees) who are now working with us and validating the information,” Sirunay said.

“Through our intelligence efforts, some members of the Albay provincial party committee are now negotiating their surrender,” he added.

Sirunay said Pernia’s arrest is a “big blow” to the Albay insurgents whose ranks have been decimated by the military’s “relentless combat operations.”

Asked why Pernia was captured in a cockpit, Sirunay said he was “enjoying his time to escape the relentless combat operations thrown against him as well as enjoy the money he (extorted) during the last elections.”

Sirunay said Albay rebels were able to extort about P50 million from local politicians, businessmen, contractors and even poor farmers last year.

Sirunay said Ronnie Rosana, alias Otol, finance officer of Pernia, was captured in July last year in Oas town.

The combat strength of the Albay party committee has gone down to 198 armed regulars.

Superintendent Eliciar Bron, spokesman of the Bicol police, said Pernia was tagged in the killing of the CPP’s former Bicol regional party committee secretary and National Democratic Front political consultant Sotero Llamas in Tabaco City on May 26, 2006.           – With Dino Balabo