Suspected NPA bomber nabbed in Camarines Sur

MANILA, Philippines - Army troops in Camarines Sur arrested on Wednesday a suspected New People’s Army bomber, foiling a repeat of the bloody ambush that claimed the lives of four soldiers in the province last month.

In a statement, the Army’s 9th Infantry Division said the NPA member, identified as Noel Alarcon, was apprehended by elements of the 902nd Brigade, who were securing a local infrastructure project.

First Lieutenant Michael Morales, leader of the arresting team, said he was conducting patrols in Barangay Kinahulugan in Lagonoy town when a village official informed him about the presence of the rebel.  

“I was told by a barangay official that one of the perpetrators of the roadside bombing in Presentacion town was mingling with the crowd in the village. I immediately rushed to the scene together with the tipster and arrested the suspect,” Morales said.  

Alarcon then brought the Army soldiers to the site of two improvised landmines which were positioned near the road in the village. Authorities believe that Alarcon and his comrades planned to ambush soldiers who had transported some supplies early this week.

“We were lucky that we avoided passing through established pathways,” Morales said.

Army 9th ID spokesman Maj. Harold Cabunoc said Alarcon had admitted to have laid the bombs to ambush soldiers who would pass along that road. The suspect, however, insisted that he did not participate in the Presentacion town ambush on May 30.

“The landmines were recovered. They were disarmed so these can no longer be used,” Cabunoc said.

Col. Cirilo Torralba, commander of the 902nd Brigade, said he has coordinated with their legal officer to file cases against the suspected rebel. “We will pursue a criminal case against the suspect to seek justice for the death and injuries of my soldiers,” he said, referring to the casualties in the Presentacion ambush. 

Torralba said they will also file before the Commission on Human Rights a complaint against the NPA for its use of landmines, which has been prohibited by the Mine Ban Treaty of 1997.

The ambush in Presentacion resulted to the deaths of four soldiers and the wounding of three others.

The ambushed troops were pursuing the insurgents who attacked soldiers securing an infrastructure project in the province. Around 300 soldiers from the Third Scout Rangers Battalion and the 42nd Infantry Battalion have been deployed to run after the perpetrators of the ambush.