High-ranking communist rebel arrested in Baguio City

BAGUIO CITY — Joint forces from various law enforcement agencies arrested an alleged high-ranking communist rebel leader in Barangay Zamora, Baguio this week, the Cordillera Police reported.

The arrested man was identified as Thomas Maggay, who is in his 60s and suffers from various illnesses. According to Cordillera Police records, he faces nine counts of murder, five counts of attempted murder, and one count of frustrated murder.

Maggay has a P2.2 million bounty under the Department of National Defense-Department of the Interior and Local Government (DND-DILG) Joint Order on Rewards. He is listed as a wanted person in the Periodic Status Report on Threat Groups (PSRTG) for the second quarter of 2025.

The Cordillera Police stated that the arrest was carried out by multiple units, including the City Intelligence Unit of the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO), Regional Intelligence Division of the Cordillera Police, Criminal Intelligence and Detection Group (CIDG) Baguio Field Unit, Regional Intelligence Unit 14, Kalinga Police, Baguio City Special Weapons and Tactics, Cordillera Mobile Force Company, Regional Mobile Force Battalion (RMFB)-15, and intelligence units of the Philippine Army (PA).

The arrest was based on confirmed intelligence from the Philippine Army and executed through a carefully planned operation. Maggay did not resist. He is now in the custody of the Regional Intelligence Division of the Cordillera Police and will be turned over to the proper courts for legal proceedings.