Army captures alleged NPA couple in Negros Occidental

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines—Two more alleged leaders of the New People’s Army were arrested Friday at a checkpoint jointly manned by the local police and the Army in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental.

Col. Oscar Lactao, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, on Sunday identified the two as Hernando Llorente alias Ka Ador, and his wife, Faith Rosene Basergo alias Bea.

According to military records, Llorente was said to be the platoon leader of the Sentro de Grabidad platoon of the Northern Negros Front while his wife was the former NNF secretary.

Lactao disclosed that Llorente and his wife have pending arrest warrants for robbery-in-band, in connection with the NPA raid of a fishpond in Barangay Bulanon, Sagay City last year. During the raid on the fishpond owned by Joseph Edgar Sarrosa, a nephew of the late Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Marañon Jr., the raiders took several high-powered firearms and an iCOM radio base.

Cadiz Regional Trial Court Judge Renato Munez, who issued the arrest warrant, has recommended P40,000 bail for robbery-in-band charges against the couple and other respondents that included Christian Tuayon , secretary general Bayan-Negros, and Ronald Ian Evidente, spokesperson of the militant labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno.

The San Carlos City police report showed that Llorente and his wife, who were on board a passenger tricycle with a driver and two others, claimed to be on their way to Cebu when they were intercepted by a joint team of the police, 6th Regional Public Safety Battalion and 62nd Infantry Battalion at a checkpoint in Barangay Punao, San Carlos City at about 8 p.m. of April 20.

The joint police and Army team arrested the couple but immediately released the driver and two other passengers due to insufficient grounds for detention.

San Carlos police chief Supt. Harold Tuzon on Sunday said that Llorente and his wife first identified themselves as Glenn Sotor Handaya and Riza Bianca Carubio.

However, the identities of the two alleged NPA leaders were established after they were identified by a rebel returnee, who used to be their colleague in the rebel movement, Tuzon said.

Lactao said the arrest warrant for robbery-in-band was served on the Llorente couple, who were detained at the San Carlos police jail.

The police recovered from the couple assorted foodstuff good for about 25 persons, P14,000 in cash, a map sketch, two cellular phones and documents with high intelligence value.

According to Tuzon, Llorente might have made up the excuse of going to Cebu, considering the volume of foodstuff they were transporting.