A high-ranking leader of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) who led numerous atrocities and large scale extortion in Southern Tagalog Region has been captured by government troops Tuesday in Batangas City.
Ernesto Samarita alias “Mel”, Secretary of the Sub-Regional Military Area-Guerrila Unit 3 (SRMA-GU3), Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee) was nabbed during a combat operation by a section of the 730th Combat Group of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) Barangay Munting Indang, Nasugbu, Batangas.
Samarita, who is also the head of the Regional Finance Staff of the STRPC; and Alt Central Committee member operating in the areas of Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, and Central Quezon, was initially stopped for acting suspiciously in the wee hours Tuesday.
The troops noticed a roll of detonating cord, which is an explosive part or component, protruding from the unzipped part of the belt bag that the subject was wearing.
When asked why he is in a possession of an explosive detonating cord, instead of answering, Samarita turned his back and tried to escape but was subsequently prevented by authorities from fleeing.
Samarita was turned over to authorities in Barangay Munting Indang, which has jurisdiction over the place where the subject was arrested.
Samarita is third highest in the Komiteng Rehiyon Timog Katagalugan and headed the Tactical Center of the 2nd Congress of the Komiteng Sentral held in Mindanao in January 2017.
He is also believed to be an Alternate Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
(FRANCIS T. WAKEFIELD)