THE Makabayan Bloc in Congress, particularly, the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), its organization in the labor sector, now find themselves in a dilemma, after some of their members earlier arrested by the police betrayed the location of an “NPA armory” in Sta. Rosa City, Laguna.
This, after elements from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and the Calabarzon Regional Police Office (PRO4-A), raided last March 30, 2021, house number 3275, Block 2 Street, Oval Subdivision, Bgy. Market Area, Sta. Rosa City, where they seized 8 assault rifles, assorted ammunitions, explosives, and documents and teaching materials of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
Also found inside the house are anti-government streamers belonging to the KMU and Bayan Muna, along with old election campaign materials of former Bayan Muna representative, Neri Colmenares, Kabataan Partylist Rep. Sarah Elago and, Liberal Party senatorial candidate, Bam Aquino. A re-electionist, Aquino lost in the 2019 midterm election.
P/MGen. Albert Ignatius Ferro, CIDG director, identified the house owner and suspect as Marites Santos David, alias ‘Teacher Laly,’ a known KMU organizer in the Calabarzon region and also allegedly a member of the ‘Revolutionary Council of Trade Union’ (RCTU), the underground labor group organization of the CPP.
Ferro added the operation was witnessed by village officials and was conducted based on a search warrant issued by Judge Charito Macalintal-Sawali of RTC Branch 66, Tanauan, Batangas.
David, who was not present and evaded arrest, is now facing charges for illegal possession of firearms and explosives, the latter, a non-bailable offense.
The police swoop came on the heel of a major anti-illegal firearms operation by the PRO4-A under P/BGen. Felipe Natividad targeting CPP front organizations and suspected communists last March 7, 2021.
This earlier court-approved operation resulted to the death of 9 members of the CPP-NPA based and operating in Calabarzon and the arrest of 6 more individuals (5 more in follow-up operations while 4 others remain at large) who are all suspected of being part of the communist’s ‘White Area Committee’ whose members are tasked to organize and create “legal front organizations” under the CPP.
The operation also resulted to the recovery of assorted firearms, ammunitions and explosives from the suspects.
Informed sources told Pinoy Exposé that the March 30 operation resulting to the recovery of the NPA arms cache in Sta. Rosa was prompted by the “betrayal” of some of those arrested during the March 7 operation.
“May mga ‘naghudas’ sa kanilang mga kasamahan (they have colleagues who betrayed them),” the sources said.
Chief PNP Debold Sinas, in a statement said as much, baring that the raid was aided by the statement of a “former rebel witness” who disclosed that the house “was the place where underground personalities” of CPP-NPA in Southern Tagalog first converged in the last week of February before most of them were arrested and killed during the March 7 police operation.
“It appears that the individuals from the operation conducted last March 7, 2021 and the current area are all inter-connected to a grand regional and national design of coordinated CPP-NPA armed offensive projections in the entire Southern Luzon area,” Sinas added.
But in a statement, KMU national chair, Elmer Labog, claimed the arms cache were “planted” by the raiding team while Colmenares averred the discovery of his campaign materials inside the house is not evidence of his link with the CPP.
The news dispatch by the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on April 1, 2021, reported that based on police inventory, seized from the house of Diaz were:
one M-1 .30 caliber carbine rifle with Serial Number (SN): 953078; one M-2 30cal carbine rifle w/ scope and silencer without serial number; one Bushmaster rifle with SN: L767622;
One unit M-16 Elisco Rifle with defaced SN; one unit M-16 Colt AR-15 rifle with defaced SN; three .45 caliber pistols; nine long magazines for M-16 rifle; three short magazines for M-16 rifle; 530 rounds of M-16 ammunition;
Two magazines for a carbine rifle; 17 rounds of M-14 ammunition; three pieces of .45 caliber magazines; 21 rounds for .45 caliber pistol; holster for .45 caliber pistol; one suppressor for .45 caliber;
Nine M-203 grenades; one improvised anti-troop carrier mine; three improvised claymore mines; 15 pieces of improvised anti-personnel mine; one claymore mine; one roll detonating cord;
10 blasting caps; one claymore mine switch; 50 meters of claymore wire; one M-16 bandolier; one M-203 bandolier; one M-16 rifle bag;
Samsung laptop with charger and case; four envelopes containing subversive documents; and, several subversive streamers.
Sinas, for his part, added some of the materiel would be subsequently transported to Metro Manila for use in the CPP-NPA’s terror campaign in the metropolis.
A treasure trove of documents
But more than the confiscated arms cache, the government said the police raid also resulted to the recovery of documents detailing the CPP-NPA’s campaign plans and operations in Calabarzon at the regional level and also at the national level at least for the next 5 years.
These include the February 25, 2018, memorandum of the National Operational Command, National Military Commission (NOC-NMC) of the CPP, addressed to the NPA’s regional operational command; a military ‘situationer’ for the region; guides on how to organize the peasant, and labor sectors and the requirements for the formation of a “revolutionary front,” among others.
An old guideline on how to organize the youth sector (dated August 2, 1998) and the rural areas dating from September 2000 were also recovered.
Also recovered were press statements released by ‘PAMANTIK,’ the regional labor group of the KMU.
It can also be recalled that three of those killed in the police operation last March 7, 2021, namely, Manny Asuncion and couple, Ariel and Chai Evangelista, were all officials of Bayan/KMU in Southern Tagalog while one of those arrested, Esteban Mendoza, is also a ranking officer of PAMANTIK-KMU, along with the now fugitive Diaz.