Five suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels, reported to be involved in the Toboso encounters on April 19, were arrested along the Circumferential Road in Barangay Matab-ang, Talisay City, Negros Occidental Wednesday night.
Arrested were Glemmar Ruelis Bacusmo, Danny Boy Pacheco, Judy Caramihan, Julie Balora, and Jerome Seballos.
Their arrests yielded four caliber .45 pistols with magazines containing ammunition, and two fragmentation grenades, based on the report of the Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region.
Police operatives served an arrest warrant against Bacusmo for attempted murder during their arrest.
Bacusmo ranks number two in the region’s list of most wanted persons as he faces a string of criminal cases such as multiple murder, multiple frustrated murder, theft, robbery, crimes against humanitarian law, and genocide.
PRO-NIR spokesperson Lt. Col. Joem Malong said the arrested individuals were part of the group previously involved in an armed encounter with the 79th Infantry Battalion in Toboso.
They managed to escape, with some of them even had gunshot wounds, she added.
The joint operation was carried out by the Regional Intelligence Division of Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region in coordination with the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Regional Mobile Force Battalion-NIR, Special Action Force, and 79th Infantry Battalion. | PNA
