A high-ranking official of the communist News People's Army (NPA) was arrested by the military and the police in Jaro, Iloilo early Tuesday morning, the Armed Forces of the Philippines announced on Wednesday.
AFP spokesperson Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala identified the arrested NPA leader as Eduardo Almores Esteban who carries the aliases “Bonnie”, “Benny” and “Pilo”.
Zagala said Esteban was the director of the communications bureau of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) Central Committee. He said Esteban was also the former secretary of the CPP-NPA Ilocos Cordillera Regional Party Committee.
“His arrest will pose a great blow to the CPP-NPA whose leadership has been successively arrested after the capture of the Tiamzon couple last March," Zagala said.
Benito Tiamzon and his wife Wilma, chairman and secretary general of CPP-NPA, respectively, were arrested by the military in Cebu last March.
Esteban was arrested at Landheights Subdivision in Barangay Buntala, Jaro, in a raid conducted by the police and the military by the virtue of a warrant of arrest for a murder case issued by Bangued, Abra Regional Trial Court Branch 2.
"The ranking NPA leader reportedly owns and supervises several businesses in the city while his comrades are still in the mountains living a life full of hardships, and being misled to the violent path," Zagala said.
He said the military intelligence operatives as well as the 301st Brigade under the leadership of Brig. Gen. Arnold Quiapo has been conducting intelligence and pursuit operations for months leading to Estaban's arrest.
"The operation is in line with (AFP chief ) General Catapang’s instruction to finish-off insurgency and claim the peace in rural communities to achieve progress and prosperity," said Zagala.
He said Esteban will be brought to Abra to face the murder case against him.
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