By Sarwell Meniano
TACLOBAN CITY – The Philippine Army has welcomed the recent arrest in Consolacion, Cebu of the second-highest leader of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Eastern Visayas, who orchestrated several terrorist activities in Samar Island.
Maj. Gen. Camilo Ligayo lauded the arrest of Romulo Micabalo, alias Ned, the second top leader of the NPA Eastern Visayas regional party committee on April 8, and credited the accomplishment to the Army’s counterparts in ending the local communist armed conflict.
“The support of our partner stakeholders is the key to this achievement, as we continue to crack down on communist terrorists in their smallest formations. We will be relentless in our operations. We assure you that our people will be protected and freed from violence and atrocities by the NPA,” he said.
Ligayo said Micabilo was behind several atrocities in Samar provinces.
Among these were the burning of Jipapad-Las Navas road construction equipment in upland villages of Las Navas town in July 2021, the ambuscade and massacre of a soldier and three militiamen, and the wounding of six militiamen who were building an army detachment in Jipapad, Eastern Samar, also in July 2021.
He was also tagged in the attack on soldiers tasked to secure the construction of school buildings in Dorillo and villages in Jipapad town in October 2022. A 10-year-old child was hurt in the incident.
Micabalo has a standing warrant of arrest for two counts of kidnapping with serious illegal detention and robbery with violence against or intimidation of a person in Agusan del Sur.
His father, Dionisio Micabalo, alias Muling, the top leader of the NPA-North Central Mindanao regional party committee, was killed in an encounter with government troops in Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental on July 26, 2023. (PNA)
