Ranking NPA leader arrested in Pampanga

A ranking leader of the communist-led New People's Army was arrested in San Fernando City in Pampanga, the military said on Thursday. Eldo Sandoval, wanted for murder, was arrested on Monday by joint military and police forces along the Olongapo-Gapan road, 703rd Brigade spokesman Capt. Emmanuel Diasen Jr. said. A leader of the New People’s Army (NPA), Sandoval is also a member of the Communist Party of the Philippine’s (CPP) Central Luzon Regional Party Committee and concurrent secretary of the Sangay ng Partido sa Platun in Pampanga. Sandoval, whose aliases include Gerry Vergara, Diosdado V. Remulla, Ka Tanda and Ka Eldo, was held under police custody by virtue of the arrest warrant issued by Pampanga Judge Maria Amifaith Fider-Reyes. Sandoval yielded two cellular phones and a fragmentation grenade, Diasen said. On the other hand, 703rd Brigade commander Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta said Sandoval is the fifth communist leader to be arrested in Central Luzon since late last year. “At least for the whole of Central Luzon, we can inform everyone that the CPP/NPA is being knocked out. We have neutralized many of them. Since late last year, we got five of them. We captured three communist leaders, killed one and one surrendered," said Mabanta. Besides being a big loss to the underground communist movement, Sandoval’s arrest will also bring distrust in the NPA as its members begin to guess who tipped off their commander's whereabouts, Army spokesman Maj. Ronaldo Jess Alcudia said. — RJAB Jr./LBG, GMANews.TV