CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga — After evading authorities for years across two regions, a suspected Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) operative linked to a series of deadly attacks in Albay was finally cornered and arrested in a pre-dawn raid in Bulacan on Saturday, ending what police called “one of the most persistent manhunts in Bicol’s recent history.”

The suspect, identified by authorities as “Zaldy” of the CTG’s Bicol Regional Party Committee (BPRC), was tracked to a safehouse in Barangay Bonga Mayor, Bustos, by a joint team from the Albay Police Provincial Office (PPO), PRO3’s Special Operations Unit, and military intelligence. The arrest closes a chapter on crimes that terrorized rural Albay communities between 2020 and 2023, including the killings of two village officials and a civilian in Libon and Guinobatan.

Acting on verified intelligence from Albay informants, operatives from PRO5 (Bicol) quietly coordinated with PRO3 (Central Luzon) for weeks, tracing Zaldy’s alleged movements from Sorsogon to Bulacan. A confidential police report obtained by PRO3 News reveals the suspect had been using forged identification documents and relying on a logistics network tied to the CTG’s “urban underground” cells.

“He thought hiding in Bulacan would keep him invisible. He was wrong,” said PBGEN Ponce Rogelio Peñones Jr., PRO3 regional director.

Zaldy faces five arrest warrants, including two counts of murder (RTC Legazpi), attempted murder (RTC Tabaco), and illegal possession of firearms under RA 10591. Court records allege he led a CTG squad that ambushed Libon barangay captain Eduardo Torres in 2022 and shot dead farmer Roberto dela Cruz in 2021 for refusing to pay “revolutionary taxes.”

In Albay, Torres’ widow, Maria, told local media: “We’ve waited years for this. I just hope the courts won’t let him escape justice again.”

The operation highlights the PNP’s intensified “no safe havens” strategy under Acting Chief PNP Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., prioritizing cross-regional intelligence sharing to dismantle CTG remnants. The AFP’s Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) praised the arrest as a “strategic blow” to the CTG’s efforts to expand operations into Central Luzon.

In a statement, the AFP said the arrest disrupts the CTG’s logistics and recruitment pipeline in Bulacan. "We’re seeing attempts to exploit rural grievances here, but operations like this prove their networks are crumbling.”

Zaldy remains detained at Camp Olivas, pending transfer to Albay. PRO3 confirmed it is investigating potential accomplices in Bulacan, including a local tricycle driver who allegedly sheltered the suspect.

Peñones vowed to expand joint operations, signaling a crackdown ahead of the 2025 barangay elections, where CTG factions have historically targeted candidates.