COMBINED agents of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the Laguna Police Provincial Office on Wednesday captured a ranking New People’s Army leader in Southern Tagalog during an operation in Bay, Laguna.

PNP-CIDG chief Director Samuel D. Pagdilao Jr. said Annabelle Bueno, alias Ka Girlie/Fara/Lara was arrested in Barangay Maitim in Bay municipality 3:30 p.m. Wednesday by members of the Laguna Provincial Criminal Investigation and Detection Team and the local police.

The officers were armed with a warrant of arrest issued against Bueno by a Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro regional trial court for multiple attempted murder and multiple frustrated murder.

Pagdilao described Bueno as the head of the Regional Organizational Department of the Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee (STRPC) of the NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front, apart from being the head of the Finance Executive Committee Sub Regional Military Area-Guerrilla Unit 1.

The suspect was found in possession of 14 sticks of dynamites, four blasting caps, assorted medicines and suspected NPA documents when arrested.

In Borongan City, Eastern Samar, local CIDG operatives arrested Dave Jun Belingay, a 29-year-old branch manager of a local motorcycle store for gunrunning.

Pagdilao said the suspect, the branch manager of the Rusi Motor in Bgy. Songco, Borongan City, was arrested while in the act of selling two caliber .45 pistols to an undercover officer. The suspect was charged with violation of anti-illegal firearms law.

The CIDG chief said that the arrest of Bueno and Belingay was part of the ongoing CIDG effort to arrest wanted suspects and seize loose firearms in the country.

Pagdilao said that the aggressive drive against loose firearms is in line with the shifting of thrust program of the CIDG for 2012, which focus on running after loose firearms that are usually being used as a tool to intimidate voters and influence the result of the elections as the country gears up for the upcoming midterm election next year.

The CIDG last week fired up its nationwide drive against loose firearms with the confiscation of more guns and arrest of suspects in the provinces of Cagayan, Abra, Pangasinan and Negros Oriental have accounted for the arrest of three illegal gun owners and the confiscation of eight firearms and assorted rounds of ammunition.

Last Saturday, February 4, CIDG operatives in Cagayan Province arrested Leonel Mendoza, 43, a farmer from Brgy. Bicud, Lallo, Cagayan, by virtue of a search warrant for illegal possession of firearms.

Operatives confiscated from Mendoza one Daewoo .9mm, one Glock .40, a rifle-type caliber .22 and several rounds of ammunition.

In Laganilang, Abra last Tuesday, CIDG operatives raided the house of Ariel Sinogo and confiscated a Baby Armalite, a Luger machine pistol and several rounds of ammunition. Sinogo however was not in his house when the CIDG operatives served the warrant.

Also last Tuesday in Bgy. Baracbac, Mangaterem, Pangasinan, CIDG operatives arrested Andres Batara, 57, for illegal possession of firearms. Seized from Batara were one M16 rifle and magazines loaded with rounds of ammunition.

In Brgy. Malabugas, Bayawan City, Negros Oriental last Monday, CIDG operatives  arrested Pazzito Libron, 38, a suspected gun-for-hire suspect and a member of the notorious Bobong Tunasan Robbery Holdup Group.

Seized from Libron were one M16 colt, a .9mm pistol, a rifle grenade, assorted gun parts and rounds of ammunition.

Pagdilao last week directed all CIDG operating units to conduct an intensive and unrelenting campaign to confiscate more loose firearms especially in areas with history of election related violent incidents in anticipation of possible rise of poll related violence relative to next year’s midterm elections