ARRESTED NPA LEADER. Police authorities in the region and the Army’s 3rd Special Forces Battalion, arrest Friday (May 14, 2021) suspected communist rebel Marcela Basa Diaz in the Marihatag, Surigao del Sur. She is allegedly the acting finance and liaison officer of an NPA unit under the North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee. (Photo courtesy of BCPO)
BUTUAN CITY – Authorities arrested the alleged acting finance and liaison officer of a unit under the communist New People's Army's (NPA) North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC)in a joint manhunt in Surigao del Sur Friday, a police official said.
Col. Canilo Fuentes, Butuan City Police Office (BCPO) director, identified the suspect Marcela Basa Diaz alias “Silay Diaz,” who was arrested in the Surigao del Sur town of Marihatag by police officers from the BCPO, the intelligence unit of Police Regional Office in Caraga (PRO-13), Surigao del Sur Police Provincial Office (SDSPPO), and the Army's 3rd Special Forces Battalion (3SFBn).
“Diaz is also a member of the Malayang Kilusan ng Bagong Kababaihan, an underground mass organization (UGMO),” Fuentes said.
Diaz was arrested by virtue of a warrant of arrest for attempted homicide under Criminal Case No. 3197 issued by the Municipal Circuit Trial Court (MCTC) of Tubay-Santiago, Agusan del Norte on March 15, 2021.
Fuentes said BCPO is also looking into Diaz's possible involvement in previous harassments by the NPA in Agusan del Norte and Butuan City.
“We are conducting a thorough investigation to see if Diaz is also in charge of sending extortion letters to handfuls of business establishments and financial institutions and collecting extortion money to support the rebel group,” the police official said.
He also urged the remaining NPA rebels in the area to surrender and take advantage of the government's reintegration program.
“We are more than happy to assist towards your new and better lives,” Fuentes said.
The NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (PNA)
