Attempt to spring detained NPA leader foiled — Army

The Philippine military on Wednesday claimed to have foiled an attempt to spring a ranking communist leader from detention following the arrest of an alleged New People’s Army (NPA) rebel who supposedly tried to sneak into the Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio on Tuesday night. Army spokesman Col. Antonio Parlade said Romulo Luna was arrested at 6:15 p.m. after getting past through sentry guards stationed at the camp’s Gate 2. Luna is reportedly a security escort of Tirso “Ka Bart" Alcantara, who was arrested last Jan. 4 in Lucena City. "When stopped and asked for his identification by the military police, he tried to run inside the camp, which prompted the military police to arrest him," said Parlade of Luna, adding that sentry guards initially thought Luna was mentally ill and ignored him. He said Luna, who allegedly yielded a hand grenade placed at the right pocket of his short pants, is a member of the Special Partisan Unit, the liquidation wing of the NPA. Parlade said the information came from the five members of the so-called Morong 43 — the health workers arrested in Morong, Rizal, early last year on suspicion that they were NPA rebels — who are now cooperating with the military. "According to them, Luna is known to be the security escort of Ka Bart and a member of the SPARU unit in Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee," said Parlade. Parlade said Luna initially denied that he is a member of the NPA, but later admitted his ties with the underground movement when he was identified by the five members of the Morong 43. Two other men, believed to be Luna’s accomplices, stayed outside the gate and fled when Luna was apprehended, Parlade said. "We believe that we have preempted the possible rescue of Tirso Alcantara," said Parlade. The release of Alcantara is among the conditions being set by the National Democratic Front (NDF) for the resumption of peace negotiations with the government, which is expected next month in Oslo, Norway. The NDF is the political wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), while the NPA is its armed wing. Peace negotiations between the government and the NDF are expected to resume next month. — KBK/RSJ, GMANews.TV