Military arrests top communist leader Villarico in Quezon City
Military and police operatives arrested Wigberto Villarico, also known as 'Baylon' and acting chairperson of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), in Quezon City on Thursday.
Villarico is the secretary of the New People's Army's Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee and a member of the CPP-NPA-NDF Political Bureau.
The suspect has a standing arrest warrant for kidnapping with murder issued by the Mauban, Quezon Regional Trial Court Branch 64 and was also charged in connection with the 2007 kidnapping and murder case in Brgy. Cagsiay, Quezon.
Villarico's capture is expected to create a leadership vacuum within the communist organization, potentially weakening its strategic direction.
The Philippine Army's Joint Task Force Katagalugan (JTFK) and other agencies have been tracking Villarico for months leading up to his arrest.
Peace consultants from the CPP demanded Villarico’s immediate release, citing his status as a protected peace consultant under the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG).
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