By FROILAN GALLARDO,
Special Correspondent
AUTHORITIES arrested two alleged leaders of the New People’s Army (NPA) in northeastern and southern Mindanao in separate operations in Butuan City and Sarangani province on Thursday.
Officials identified the suspects as 68-year-old VirgilioTorralbaLincuna and NicanorPason a.k.a. Costan.
Lincuna is allegedly the secretary of the Regional Urban Committee of the NPA in northeastern Mindanao while Pason is allegedly the spokesman of the Maoist rebel group in southern Mindanao.
Lt. Col. Christian Rafols II, police spokesperson for Caraga, said a joint police and military team arrested Lincuna at his office in Purok 3A, Barangay Tiniwasan, Butuan City at around 12:30 pm Thursday based on a warrant of arrest issued by Judge Lilibeth Ladaga of the Regional Trial Court Branch 28 in Lianga town in Surigao del Sur for three counts of frustrated murder.
He said Ladaga fixed the bail of P100,000 for each of the frustrated murder cases.
Aside from his alleged links to the NPA, Lincuna also chairs the militant group Kilusang Mayo Uno in Butuan City, Rafols said.
But the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas in Caraga said Lincuna is its secretary-general, and the elderly man is not with KMU.
KMP alleged that the frustrated murder charges against Lincuna are trumped up.
Caraga police director Brig. Gen. Joselito Esquivel Jr., said Lincuna is presently detained at Camp Raphael Rodriguez in Butuan.
Pason, meanwhile, was arrested with two of his companions during a raid in Barangay Kalaong, Maitum, Sarangani.
The arrest of Pason came hours before police in Butuan City arrested Lincuna.
Armed Forces Eastern Mindanao spokesperson Lt. Col. Ezra Balagtey said Pason was wounded because he allegedly resisted arrest and lobbed a grenade at the arresting team.
Balagtey said the soldiers brought the wounded Pason to a hospital in Maitum town for treatment.
Balagtey said Pason had to companions who were arrested, too: Josephine Carvajal Sumagaysay and Reynaldo Beringel Loyola.
Balagtey said Pason was arrested based on a warrant of arrest for murder issued at the Regional Trial Court 11, Branch 38 Alabel, Sarangani.
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