Ranking CPP official arrested in Cavite for murder raps
MANILA, Philippines — A reported ranking official of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) was arrested in Cavite on Tuesday for charges of murder, the Philippine Army (PA) reported.
In a joint police and military operation, authorities arrested Evangeline Rapanut, and a certain Randy Belen, in Greenwood Heights Subdivision, Brgy Paliparan 1, Dasmariñas City, Cavite, according to the PA’s 5th Infantry Division.
The army said that Rapanut, who is a current CPP Central Committee member, was the former secretary of Komiteng Rehiyon-Cagayan Valley and deputy secretary for the National Education Department of the CPP, its armed wing New People’s Army (NPA), and the umbrella organization National Democratic Front (NDF).
Rapanut has been in the underground movement since the 1970s until she became a full-time NPA member in the mid-1970s, according to the army.
Belen, meanwhile, is a communication staff of the National Education Department of the CPP-NPA-NDF, the army said.
Rapanut’s arrest came after warrants of arrest had been served for the crimes of murder and frustrated murder she and her cohorts allegedly committed in Cagayan Valley region.
“Rapanut is responsible for mass orientations to radicalize especially the youth, students, and vulnerable sectors such as indigenous people, trade unions, urban poor, and farmers purposely to recruit additional political and military cadres in support of the recovery of Komiteng Probinsya-Batangas under Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee and expansion into parts of Cavite and Central Quezon as the center of manufacturing and industrial establishments in Southern Tagalog,” the 5th Infantry Division said in a statement.
The army also said they recovered during the operation one M16 rifle along with other war materiel.
INQUIRER.net reached out to CPP spokesperson Marco Valbuena for comment but he has yet to respond as of posting.
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