Air Force combat group nabs NPA leader in Batangas

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 22): Air Force combat group nabs NPA leader in Batangas

Members of the 730th Combat Group of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) have arrested a top New People’s Army (NPA) leader while conducting combat patrol operation at Munting Indang Village, Nasugbu town in this province.

In a report Wednesday, Batangas Provincial Police Director Senior Superintendent Leopoldo Cabanag said the high-ranking NPA leader identified as Ernesto Samarita is now under the custody of the Nasugbu Municipal Police Station after the arrest by the PAF combat group the other day.

According to Cabanag, Samarita is the secretary of the Sub-Regional Military Area-Guerilla Unit 3 (SRMA-GU3), Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee (STRPC).

The rebel leader also sits as an Executive Committee (ExeCom) member of STRPC and heads the Regional Finance Staff, STRPC; and as alternate Central Committee member of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
Cabanag said further that Samarita is the 3rd highest ranking person in the “Komiteng Rehiyon Timog Katagalugan” and headed the Tactical Center of the 2nd Congress of the “Komiteng Sentral” held in Mindanao in January 2017.

The Batangas police chief said the air force combat group nabbed Samarita who was carrying a back pack loaded with an improvised explosive device (IED) and initially identified himself as Jojo Dimayacyac.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=966390