2 suspected NPA rebels nabbed at checkpoint in Cagayan

TUGUEGARAO CITY – Two suspected members of the New People’s Army operating in Cagayan province were caught at a checkpoint on Thursday afternoon at Penablanca town, according to a report from the Philippine Army’s 17th Infantry Battalion.

David Soriano, allegedly the secretary-general of the NPA Kilusang Larangang Gerilya-Hilagang Silangang, and an unidentified companion, were detained by the police and soldiers in connection with the death of a Cagayan mayor in 2014, said Lt. Col. Rembert Baylosis, 17th Infantry Battalion commander.

Soriano was charged in court as one of 8 armed men who shot dead Mayor Carlito Pentecostes Jr. on April 21, 2014 during a flag raising ceremony at the Gonzaga town hall. The communist rebels had issued a statement admitting they were behind the attack.

Soriano was also seen in footage recorded by closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed at the Gonzaga town hall grounds, the army claims.

He was also among the 69 people charged for the abduction and murder of Privates First Class Victor Balao and Jayson Tugao, and Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) member Jayson Santor at the Zinundungan Valley at Rizal town in Cagayan province on July 2, 2015. JE