Top CPP-NPA-NDF (Panay) leader falls to authorities

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — The topmost leader of the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army – National Democratic Front in Panay Island was arrested in a joint police and military operation yesterday morning.

Maria Concepcion “Concha” Araneta-Bocala, who will turn 65 on August 6, was arrested in a rented house at Juntado Subdivision in Barangay Calumpang of Molo district in this city. She was with her nephew Joseph Cariaga and househelp Annielyn Soldebilla, when arrested.

Araneta-Bocala, secretary general of CPP-NPA-NDF’s Komiteng Rehiyon Panay, was nabbed with an arrest warrant for the crime of murder, issued by Regional Trial Court-Branch 2 in Kalibo, Aklan, and for rebellion, via a warrant issued by a court in Antique.

The arrest of Araneta-Bocala carried a reward of P7.8 million, based on the joint Reward List No. 14-2012, of the Department of National Defense and Department of Interior and Local Government, dated November 12, 2012.

The arresting team from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-6 and the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division also seized from her more than P200,000 in cash, a fragmentation grenade, a .45-caliber pistol, a .22-caliber revolver, assorted ammunition, a Toshiba laptop, 13 mobile phones, nine external hard drives, 20 compact discs, a binocular, and a floppy disc.

Araneta-Bocala used to be married to former Iloilo Provincial Board Member Pablito Araneta. Following their separation, she married Reynaldo Bocala, also a top CPP-NPA leader in Panay, who also carried a bounty of P4.8 million for his arrest. He was arrested in Igbaras, Iloilo on February 12, 2001 but was released months later.

According to Major Ray Tiongson, 3rd ID spokesperson, Araneta-Bocala joined the movement in the 1970s, and was considered one of the pioneers of the First Quarter Storm who went underground during the Martial Law Period. She has been linked to several atrocities in the region since, added Tiongson.

Senior Superintendent Peter Naboye, CIDG-6 director, said a one-year surveillance was conducted leading to the arrest of Araneta-Bocala. He said a tipster informed them of her presence in Molo a week ago, prompting the police and the military to raid her rented house at around 5 a.m. yesterday.

One of the police operatives said Araneta-Bocala appeared to be awake when they stormed the house. There was no resistance from her, the raiding team said, but she claimed to have suffered hematoma on the left arm after trying to block the door when they barged into the house.

Meanwhile, Chief Superintendent Bernardo Diaz, Police Regional Office-6 director, said Araneta-Bocala’s arrest showed that justice had been served, while being a serious blow against the hierarchy of the CPP-NPA-NDF.

“There will be a vacuum in its leadership considering that Araneta-Bocala, as the head of the rebel movement in the region, directed the conduct of atrocities,” said Diaz.

As this developed, Naboye said Araneta-Bocala and her two companions, Cariaga and Soldebilla, will be charged with possession of firearms, ammunition, and explosives.  (FREEMAN)