ARRESTED. Romulo Masayon, 42, a teacher of the Alternative Learning Center for Agricultural and Livelihood Development and allegedly an active member of the New People’s Army - White Area Committee. Agusan del Norte police arrested Masayon on Friday (July 22, 2022), saying he has been active in various activities of the NPA not only in the province but also in Agusan del Sur. (Photo courtesy of ADNPPO)
BUTUAN CITY – Police arrested Friday a tribal school teacher suspected to be doubling as a recruiter for the communist New People’s Army (NPA) in Agusan del Norte.
In a statement, the Agusan del Norte Police Provincial Office (ADNPPO) identified the suspect as Romulo Masayon, a teacher of the Alternative Learning Center for Agricultural and Livelihood Development (ALCADEV) and an alleged member of the NPA White Area Committee.
Masayon, 42, is allegedly involved in the recruitment of teachers and students into the communist movement while teaching at ALCADEV, long suspected by the military as a recruitment ground for the NPA.
The school, situated in Surigao del Sur, was closed following a clamor by local tribal leaders and local government units.
According to the police, Masayon has also been a member of the organizing committee at the provincial level of the Anakbayan Party-list in Agusan del Sur since 2020.
Col. Helson Walin, ADNPPO director, said Masayon was arrested by the combined forces of the Philippine National Police and the Army’s 29th Infantry Battalion in Barangay Bangayan, Kitcharao, Agusan del Norte under arrest warrants issued by two local courts.
The arrest warrants were issued by the Municipal Trial Court in Cities in Tandag City, Surigao del Sur on July 4, 2022 for robbery, and by the Regional Trial Court Branch 40, also in Tandag City, on Jan. 7, 2022, for robbery in an inhabited house or public building or edifice devoted to worship, as stipulated in Article 299 of the Revised Penal Code.
Walin said Masayon is considered the seventh priority target and most wanted person in Agusan del Norte.
“The arrest of Masayon will significantly contribute to the inevitable downfall of the communist group,” he said.
He noted that the NPA in Agusan has suffered major setbacks during the past several months due to the arrest of its leaders and the surrender of its members.
The suspect is currently detained at the police station in Kitcharao for documentation and proper disposition.
The Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
The National Democratic Front was formally designated as a terrorist organization by the Anti-Terrorism Council on June 23, 2021, citing it as “an integral and inseparable part” of the CPP-NPA created in April 1973. (PNA)
