Surigao del sur: Police in Surigao del Sur arrested another remnant of the communist New People's Army (NPA), a suspect ranked as the region's second most wanted person, the Surigao del Sur Police Provincial Office (SDSPPO) reported on Monday. The SDSPPO identified the suspect as alias 'Jepoy,' 53, a resident of Sitio Emerald, Barangay Diatagon, Lianga, according to a news release.
According to Philippines News Agency, authorities said Jepoy, a former political instructor of the NPA's North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee, was arrested in Barangay Sudlon, Barobo town, during the service of arrest warrants on Saturday. He is facing multiple criminal charges filed before the Regional Trial Court Branch 28 in Lianga, including three counts of murder, two counts of frustrated murder, and two counts of attempted murder.
"The capture of a high-ranking communist terrorist group leader brings justice closer to the victims of these violent acts and brings us one step closer to achieving total peace in Surigao del Sur," SDSPPO Director Col. Jeffrey Lawrence Mauricio said. He added that police and military forces will remain relentless in pursuing wanted individuals hiding in the province.
