ALLEGED REBEL LEADER. A police officer reads the 'Miranda doctrine' to Leon Tabafa Tacdoro, an alleged ranking official of the communist New People’s Army, who was arrested during a law enforcement operation in Lebak, Sultan Kudarat on Wednesday (March 18, 2020). The suspect is facing criminal charges ranging from kidnapping and murder, among others. (Photo courtesy of Lebak MPS)
COTABATO CITY – A suspected ranking official of the communist New Peoples’ Army (NPA) was arrested by joint police and military personnel in Barangay Keytodac, Lebak, Sultan Kudarat Wednesday.
Lt. Col. Lino Capellan, speaking for police in Region 12, identified the suspected NPA leader as Leon Tabafa Tacdoro, who has standing warrants for kidnapping and serious illegal detention, robbery with violence against or intimidation of persons, murder, and nine counts of frustrated murder.
Tacdoro, 62, is the alleged leader of the NPA Regional Peasant Bureau, Far South Mindanao Regional Command. He is a resident of Tulunan, North Cotabato.
Police and members of the Army’s 6th Infantry Battalion, led by Lt. Col. Clairmont Pinpin, served the warrants against Tacdoro at 5 a.m. in his home in Barangay Keytodac, Lebak.
“He did not resist arrest, Capellan said, adding Tacdoro yielded a .45-caliber pistol, a homemade shotgun, two fragmentation grenades, and other pieces of evidence.
NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, is listed as a terrorist organization by the governments of the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (PNA)
