TACLOBAN CITY – Two top officials of the New People's Army in Eastern Visayas were arrested by the military and police in San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan on Friday, May 26.
Rosita Solayao Taboy, alias “Laling,” a former secretary of the Regional Organizational Department (ROD) and member of the Executive Committee (Execom) of the Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee (EVRPC), and her husband, alias “Beto,” a demolition expert of the National Operations Command of the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA-National Democratic Front, were apprehended after years of hiding.
Taboy is also a staff of the National Finance Commission of the CPP-NPA-NDF.
MAP of the Philippines with Eastern Visayas highlighted.
The couple yielded a caliber .45 pistol, a caliber. 38 pistol, one commercial C4 bomb, blasting caps, assorted cellphones, a laptop, and other subversive documents.
They are facing multiple criminal charges and have standing warrants of arrest for multiple murder issued by the Municipal Trial Court (MTC) of Basey, Samar on Oct. 8, 1990, multiple frustrated murder issued by the MTC of Paranas, Samar on July 11, 1995, and frustrated murder issued by the Regional Trial Court Branch 21 in Laoang, Northern Samar.
They are also allegedly responsible for numerous atrocities committed in Eastern Visayas.
Some of these were the burning of the Smart Communications tower in Catbalogan City on Jan. 6, 2000; the assassination of Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit Active Auxillary (CAA) Danilo Nuguit on Sept. 27, 2006; and the ambush where 10 soldiers and a nine-year-old boy were killed on Dec. 14, 2010.
Major Gen. Camilo Ligayo, commander of the 8th Infantry Division, said that the EVRPC’s downfall is now more evident as its top leaders are either captured, surrendered, or killed.
“The arrest of the couple, alias Laling and alias Beto, is another victory for the combined efforts of PNP and AFP in pursuit of peace and security. This is a great development in attaining justice for the victims of violence perpetrated by the CPP-NPA in Eastern Visayas,” Ligayo said.