MANILA, Philippines — A Taguig City Regional Trial Court has convicted a ranking communist leader of illegal possession of explosives and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition and sentenced him to imprisonment of more than 16 years, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla reported yesterday.
Sentenced by the Taguig City RTC Branch 266 to a minimum of 11 years and four months to a maximum of 16 years was Tirso Alcantara, executive committee member of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) and leader of the Southern Tagalog Party Committee.
Remulla did not reveal the date of Alcantara’s conviction.
Alcantara was wounded allegedly in a shootout with members of the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Army who were serving him an arrest warrant issued by the Lucena City RTC Branch 59. It was not clear where or when the arrest was made.
Seized from Alcantara were “one grenade hand fragmentation MK2, nine blasting caps with six meters and six inches of detonating cord and 12 feet and seven inches of time fuse, which are capable of producing destructive effect on contiguous objects or causing injury or death to any person.”
Alcantara also yielded caliber .45 colt pistol as well as magazines, and 14 rounds of live ammunition.