Two communist leaders nabbed in Nueva Ecija

By Ronron
December 3, 2007

Two suspected local leaders of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) were arrested last week in Nueva Ecija province, the spokesman of the Philippine Army said Monday.

Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres, Jr. said Emeterio Antalan and Edgardo Friginal were arrested last November 28 at around 4pm at Barangay Dimasalang Norte, Talavera town by joint elements of the Army’s 7th Infantry Divisoin and the Nueva Ecija police.

Torres said Antalan, who uses the aliases Ka Jigs and Ka Elgy, is the Secretary of the Nueva Ecija Provincial Committee of the CPP, while Friginal, who uses the aliases Ka Reynold and Ka Archie, is commanding officer of the Sentro de Grabidad of the same unit.

He said Antalan was arrested by the virtue of warrants issued against him for the crime of multiple murder, robbery and destructive arson, while Friginal was for the crime of murder, kidnapping and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

Torres said the arresting team recovered from Antalan and Friginal “two carbine rifles, one M16 rifle, rebellion documents, laptop computer and four cellphones.”

Torres said the arrest of the two is separate from the arrest of Elizabeth Principe, a regular member of the CPP Central Committee and Secretary of the Cagayan Valley Regional Committee, on the same day in Cubao, Quezon City.

But he said that both incidents “are all in line with the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ efforts to finally defeat the communist terrorists.”

The Arroyo government has vowed to crush the 38-year-old insurgency movement by 2010./DMS