Alleged NPA’s ‘permit-to-campaign’ fee collector captured in Quezon
New People’s Army (NPA) | INQUIRER.net file photo
LUCENA CITY – The attempt of New People’s Army (NPA) rebels to demand “permit-to-campaign” (PTC) fees from election candidates in Quezon province was foiled after government forces arrested the assigned collector.
In an interview on Sunday, March 30, Lieutenant Colonel Dennis de Guzman, Lucena police chief, said the arrested suspect, Darwin Palo, 31, or “Queen” has been tasked “to facilitate the collection of the PTC in Quezon but not particularly in Lucena City.”
Incidentally, Palo is listed as the number one wanted criminal in the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon), the Region 4A police said.
He is facing six warrants of arrest for double homicide, attempted homicide, multiple attempted murders, attempted murder, frustrated homicide, and violation of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.
According to the military, Palo, a native of Lopez town, is included in the Periodic Status Report List of members of the NPA-Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee.
The police report on the incident said Palo and his cohort, Jay-Ar Montales, 33, a construction worker, who was driving the motorcycle, were spotted while passing the police and military chokepoint in the city around noon on Thursday, March 27.
But instead of heeding the signal to stop, the riders sped away.
Local personnel of the city’s Special Weapons and Tactics (Swat) gave chase and cornered the two inside the premises of the Lucena Grand Central Terminal on the city outskirts.
During the routine frisking, Montales was found carrying a caliber .32 gun with six bullets inside his sling bag.
They were detained at the city police jail and face criminal charges.
Colonel Dennis Cana, public information officer of the Armed Forces Southern Luzon Command (Solcom), said the successful operation that led to Palo’s arrest was based on the information provided by former supporters of the communist movement, particularly, the “people’s militia” who surrendered to the government.
In past elections, the target candidates often received communication from alleged communist guerrillas asking them to settle their PTC fees in exchange for uninterrupted campaign activities inside areas that the rebels considered their strongholds.
The rebels reportedly demanded not only cash but also food, rice, medicine, communication equipment, and even firearms.
In June 2023, local government, police, and military officials in Quezon declared the province free from the influence of communist insurgents.
They said the province had attained “Stable Internal Peace and Security” or SIPS status, which means that the Communist Party of the Philippines, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, and the NPA are no longer threats to the peace and order in its localities.
However, in this year’s midterm polls, the Commission on Election placed the towns of Tagkawayan and San Narciso under “orange category” or areas with serious armed threats due to the presence of NPA rebels in the localities.
