Counter-terror raid nets 2 top CPP-NPA leaders in OrMin
PHILIPPINE National Police agents on Thursday night launched a counter-terror operation in Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro which resulted in the capture of two suspected top CPP-NPA leaders and the seizure of several high-powered firearms and explosives.
Area Police Command-Southern Luzon commander Lt. Gen. Rhoderick C. Armamento identified the arrested suspects as Eric Cardenas Baltazar alias “Ka Boni/Tito/Ibay/Arnold” and Nancy Angeles Bautista alias “Ka Vati/Idis/Ninay/Sungit/Nessa.”
Baltazar was described as the vice commanding officer and security officer of the National Tax Implementing Group (NITG) and the National Finance Commission (NFC) of the CPP-NPA while Bautista was the deputy secretary of the Komunikasyon Teknikal of the CPP/NPA’s NITF and NFC’s Team Visayas and Central Office Staff.
Armamento said that the two were arrested inside a house in Sitio Uno, Bgy Aninuan in Puerto Galera which was raided by members of the Oriental Mindoro Provincial Field Unit of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, the Police Regional Office 4-B, the Oriental Mindoro Police Provincial Office, the Calapan City SWAT Team, the PNP EOD/K-9 Group and the PNP Directorate for Intelligence.
The raiders were armed with a search warrant for violation of Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammuntion Regulations Act of 2013 issued on August 1 by Judge Maria Cecilia Austria-Chua of the Batangas City Regional Trial Court.
The search led to the confiscation of one M-16 Colt automatic rifle with defaced serial numbers, an M-16 magazine with 30 live ammunition, one Colt 1911 cal. .45 semi-automatic pistol with magazine containing seven bullets, two pieces of metal pipe bombs,, 600 grams of suspected black powder, a commercial detonating cord measuring about 3.84 meters, two kilograms of suspected ammonium nitrate and suspected CPP-NPA documents.
Also recovered inside the house of the duo were a laptop computer, five android phones, eight USB flash drives, one USB flash drive attached to a card reader, a hard drive, a memory card, a memory card ready, and cash money amounting to P327,711.
The seized computer, cellphones and hard and flash drives will be subjected to a thorough technical examination to find out their evidentiary value.
The arrested suspects are being held in a police jail in Calapan City while criminal charges for illegal possession of firearms and explosives are being readied against them.
