3 high-ranking NPAs captured in Cagayan province

CAMP MELCHOR F. DELA CRUZ, Gamu, Isabela – Joint operatives of the military and the police have captured three high-ranking leaders and a member of the New People’s Army (NPA) operating in Cagayan province.

Major General Pablo M. Lorenzo, the commander of the Fifth Infantry Division (5th ID), said on Sunday that these three NPA leaders were arrested in a joint Army and the police operations in barangays Barbarit and Naddungan, both in Gattaran town; and in Tuguegarao City, all in Cagayan province on October 8.

Police identified the arrested NPA leaders as Violeta Ricardo, also known as Issa or Marissa, who was tagged as the deputy secretary of the Northern Front Committee and head of regional finance Komiteng Rehiyon-Cagayan Valley (KRCV) of the NPA; and Christina Miguel, alias Senyang, a staff of the Regional Operations Department, Komiteng Rehiyon-Cagayan Valley (ROD-KR-CV) of the NPA . The two were arrested in Gattaran town.

Arrested in Barangay Leonarda, Tuguegarao City were Delilah Padilla, alias Domsay, Saganay and Tinay, who was a member of Education Squad Dos Northern Front of the NPA; and Carol Garcia Ballesta.

According to Lorenzo, Ricardo, Miguel and Padilla have impending arrest warrants of several criminal cases like murder, frustrated murder, attempted murder, rebellion, and assault upon an agent in authority while Ballesta was arrested for harboring criminals in her residence.

“The arrest of these NPA leaders is the output of our strengthened joint operations with the police operatives in connection with the implementation of the Executive Order 70 of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte which concern on the whole of nation approach campaign to End Local Communism Armed Conflict (ELCAC) in Region 2,” said Lorenzo.