Tipster in NPA chief's capture gets P2 million

A civilian, whose information led to the capture of one of Northern Luzon’s high-ranking communist leaders, now joins the country’s millionaires club.

The Armed Forces’ Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) had given the other day P2 million to the provider of the information that caused last year’s arrest of Randy Felix Malayao, then the deputy secretary-general of the Northeast Luzon Regional Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) in Northern Luzon.

According to Lt. General Isagani Cachuela, chief of the Tarlac City-based Nolcom, at the time of his capture, Mana­yao, also known in the underground movement as Panyo, Tonyo, James, and Edu, was a regular member of the NELRC’s executive committee as well as the head of its education committee.

“Malayao’s arrest is a big blow to the communist terrorists’ organization in (Cagayan Valley). They have lost seasoned cadres who can help salvage their deteriorating organization. They do not have mass base support, so they are now on the run,” said Cachuela in an e-mail to The STAR yesterday. 

Manayao, who also used Salvador del Pueblo as nom de guerre in their news releases, was captured by Army and police operatives in Cainta, Rizal on May 15 last year. He was arrested by virtue of an arrest warrant against him for murder cases in Tuguegarao City. 

Cachuela, who personally handed the amount in a simple ceremony at the Nolcom headquarters, commended the ski mask-wearing informer for taking “great risks just so the mission will be accomplished.” 

A student leader during his days at the University of the Philippines, Manayao, who was the political officer of the Cagayan Valley Regional Committee prior his designation to higher posts, was also tagged by the government in the killing of then Cagayan congressman Rodolfo Agui­naldo in June 2001.