NPA leader arrested in San Juan hospital

MANILA, Philippines — A leader of the communist New People’s Army (NPA), who carries a P4.4-million bounty on his head, was arrested at a hospital in San Juan City after undergoing an executive checkup, an official said yesterday.

Jaime Padilla, 72, was apprehended by police officers and soliders at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center at around 7:30 p.m. Monday, according to Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas, National Capital Region Police Office chief.

Padilla, also known by his aliases as Ka Delio and Ka Diego, is the head of the information bureau of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and spokesman of the NPA’s Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee (STRPC).

Also arrested were Rey Rafa, 30; Jefren Banjawan, 26, and Kay Ann Trogon, 27, who were in the hospital room with Padilla. All three are from Laguna.

A backpack containing around P500,000 cash was confiscated from Padilla, who is the subject of arrest warrants for four counts of murder, kidnapping and multiple frustrated homicide issued by courts in various parts of the country, Sinas said.

An informant, who trailed Padilla since he replaced the late Gregorio Rosal as STRPC spokesman, led lawmen to the hospital, Sinas said.

Padilla checked in as Jesus Capili to undergo treatment for thematic hypertension.

Col. Remus Medina, NCRPO intelligence chief, said Padilla checked in last Sunday and incurred a P120,000 bill after undergoing an executive checkup.

“While their combatants are experiencing hunger and hardship in the mountains, there leaders are living a good life and spending extravagantly in Metro Manila and other cities,” said Medina, noting that Padilla refused to say where the confiscated money came from.

According to Sinas, they are conducting a background check on Rafa, Banjawan and Trogon, who appeared to have been guarding Padilla in the hospital. They will be charged with harboring a wanted person, he added.

Padilla and his three companions were brought to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group at Camp Crame for proper documentation and disposition. – With Ed Amoroso