High-ranking insurgents collared

The Philippine Army said on Sunday that two high-ranking leaders of the New People’s Army were arrested in Makati City.

Authorities identified the nabbed insurgents as Gavino Panganiban and Marites David, who were apprehended in a law enforcement operation jointly conducted by the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division (2ID) and the Southern Police District (SPD) of the Philippine National Police on 27 October at Pililia Street, Barangay Valenzuela.

2ID Public Affairs Office chief Lt. Col. Jeffrex Molina narrated that Panganiban has an existing arrest warrant for murder and attempted murder, while David has violated the Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunition.

Panganiban was operating in communist-infiltrated communities using aliases such as “Nori, Momoy, Benson, Sonny, Mando, Teddy and Rato,” while David was known by her nom de guerre “Teacher Lally or Nikki.”

“Their arrest will eventually add to the deteriorating morale in the ranks of the communist terrorist group due to the successive arrest, capture, surrender, and death of their members and leadership these past months,” Molina said.

The arrested communist leaders were placed under the custody of the PNP’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group for documentation and proper legal processing.