Mindanao's 'most wanted NPA leader' booked in Davao

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 17, 2022): Mindanao's 'most wanted NPA leader' booked in Davao (By Che Palicte)

WANTED NPA LEADER. Eric Jun Casilao, a top leader of the communist New People’s Army, was arrested in Malaysia early April and deported back to the country on Monday (April 17, 2023). Casilao, the secretary of the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee and Central Committee member of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), has a PHP5.4-million bounty on his head. (PNA Photo by Robinson Niñal Jr.)

DAVAO CITY – Mindanao's most wanted New People’s Army (NPA) leader who abandoned his comrades in Davao de Oro province was presented to the media here Monday following his arrest in Malaysia earlier this month.

NPA rebel Eric Jun Casilao, the secretary of the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee (SMRC) and Central Committee member of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), was apprehended at the Jeti Point International Clearance Gate in Langkawi, Malaysia, on April 1.

Authorities said Casilao was boarding a ferry bound for Koh Lipe, Thailand, when arrested.

In a press briefing at the Davao City Police Office (DCPO), Michael John Mangahis, officer-in-charge of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Davao Region (CIDG-11), said Casilao was deported from Malaysia and arrived in the city around 2 p.m. on Monday.

“We are currently processing him. We conducted a medical check-up to make sure that he is in good condition,” he said of Casilao, who carries a PHP5.4 million bounty on his head.

Mangahis attributed Casilao's arrest to the collaboration of various government security agencies of the two countries.

“With the good collaboration of our government agencies, we were able to track him down,” Mangahis said.

Casilao was put on the Malaysian Red Notice List for passport falsification. Likewise, he was detained for violating Malaysian immigration laws which led to his subsequent deportation to the Philippines.

Local authorities described Casilao as one of the most notorious NPA leaders who orchestrated numerous terroristic activities in the Davao Region.

He has existing warrants of arrest for murder, kidnapping and serious illegal detention, and attempted murder charges.

Selfish leader

Arian Jane Ramos, the former secretary of Guerilla Front 55, said all the while they thought that Casilao had not fled and was just hiding in other regional committees within the country.

“As an NPA cadre, leaving one's NPA unit goes against the CPP's doctrine. How much more leaving the country?" she said.

Ramos, who surrendered years ago to reject the communist rebellion, described Casilao as selfish.

In a public post, Joy James Saguino, the former deputy secretary of Sub-Regional Committee 1 of the NPA, said Casilao's act of fleeing the country showed the "treacherous behavior of the NPA's top leaders."

"While the organization continues to wage its decades-long insurgency in the Philippines, it is clear that most of its leaders are more concerned with their gain than with the welfare of their followers," Saguino said.

In a statement, Maj. Gen. Jose Eriel Niembra, the Army’s 10th Infantry Division commander, warned that NPA leaders have no safe place to stay and hide, even outside the country.

“The government is determined to capture NPA leaders and terrorists wherever they are,” he said.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1199575