3 suspected NPA fighters arrested in Palawan—police

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan, Philippines – Three suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA) were arrested by elements of the Western Command and the Philippine National Police on Sunday morning in San Vicente, Palawan.

Senior Superintendent Atanacio Macalan, the PNP Palawan provincial director, told reporters that pursuit operations were ongoing around the area of Port Barton, San Vicente, and that several high-powered firearms had been recovered.

The government forces, Macalan explained, were in an operation to serve a warrant of arrest against a suspected NPA leader, a certain Dionesio Almonte, when they came upon a group of rebels.

Recovered from the three captives were eight shotguns, a baby armalite, two UZI rifles, a .50 caliber machine gun, detonating cords used on improvised bombs and two drums of chemicals, he said.

Macalan declined to name the captives pending investigation and would not say if Almonte was one of them.

Macalan said initial investigation showed the captured firearms included those taken by the rebels during previous raids it conducted in a commercial pearl farm in Taytay, Palawan, and at the local police headquarters of the PNP in Roxas town.