Army troops arrested an alleged high ranking official of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Negros Occidental last Saturday.

1Lt. Cesarjin Manalon, civil military officer of the 15th Infantry Battalion, said arrested was Bobby Pedro alias Reymark Labrador, a liaison of the Southwest Front Extortion Group, New People’s Army, Armando Sumayang Jr. Command, Southwest Negros.

Manalon said Pedro was in “charge of the communication through electronic means and official correspondence as well as the collection of extortion money duty in lump sum tranches and other pertinent tasks related to transactions of NPA, Armando Sumayang Jr. Command, Southwest Negros.”

Manalon said Pedro was arrested by troops in the vicinity of Sitio Gusnit, Brgy. Pinggot, Ilog, Negros Occidental around 7 pm.

She said Pedro “was caught while entering the house of a certain Noe Castillo after he was sighted with other armed companions and was tracked down by operating troops.”

Manalon said troops also seized “a 9mm pistol with two magazines loaded with 37 ammunition, six rounds 5.56mm ammunition, a cellular phone, acupuncture needles, envelopes and subversive documents with high intelligence value and P 3,058 cash”. Robina Asido/DMS