Ex-NPA leader tagged as Surigao’s fourth most wanted falls in Butuan

SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur— An alleged former communist rebel leader wanted for multiple offenses was arrested in Butuan City on Saturday, Oct. 17, following a joint police and military manhunt, authorities reported on Monday.

The suspect, known by the aliases “Kenny” and “Tikoy,” ranks fourth on the list of most wanted persons in Surigao del Sur.

He was cornered by operatives in Purok 5, Barangay Villa Kananga, according to Brig. Gen. Rolindo Suguilon, director of Police Regional Office 13 (PRO-13).

READ: Top alleged NPA leader nabbed in Surigao del Sur

The operation was carried out by tracker teams from the Cagwait Municipal Police Station and troops from the Philippine Army’s 36th Infantry Battalion under the 4th Infantry Division.

Operatives served three outstanding arrest warrants issued by Branch 28 of the Regional Trial Court in Lianga, Surigao del Sur, under the 11th Judicial Region.

The suspect faces charges of frustrated murder, with recommended bail of P200,000; attempted murder, with bail set at P120,000; and robbery, with bail fixed at P48,000.

Intelligence dossiers show that the suspect first joined the communist underground movement in February 2002.

Over the years, he rose through the ranks to become the vice commanding officer of the Regional Operational Command, a political adviser and a member of the Regional Sentro de Grabidad under the New People’s Army’s North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee. The rebel front operates across the Caraga provinces of Surigao del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Agusan del Sur and Agusan del Norte.

Suguilon commended the joint security teams for arresting the fugitive, noting that tracking down remaining rebel personalities remains a priority in preserving the region’s hard-won stability.

The suspect is currently detained pending his formal presentation before the issuing court in Lianga. /mcm