A suspected leader of the New People’s Army in Negros island, and his wife, were arrested Friday by a combined team of military and police personnel in Mandaue City, Cebu.

Maj. Enrico Gil Ileto, spokesman of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, yesterday identified the arrested suspects as Calixto Vistal, with three aliases of Cocoy, Fred and Isom, commander of the NPA in southeast Negros island, and his wife as Jimmyliza Badayos, with the aliases of Jill, Cecille and Mayet.

Their arrest brought to about 15 the number of rebel leaders in Negros arrested in the past two years, but some were later freed from jail on orders of the court, after posting bail, military records show.

However, the freed rebel leaders reportedly went back to the mountains, to pursue the armed struggle.

Ileto said the apprehension of Vistal was made by virtue of an arrest warrant issued by Dumaguete City Judge Roderick Maxino for the crime of murder. His wife, was arrested for illegal possession of firearms and explosives.

Military records show that Vista also led the NPA in several violent actions in Bohol, while he was still serving as the island commander, the raid of a police outpost and an encounter with Army’s elite Special Forces troopers, that resulted in the death of 2Lt. Socrates Que and some of his men in year 2000.

Vistal was also linked to the burning of heavy equipment owned by then Mayor Boy Jumamoy in Inabanga, Bohol, in 2003. When he was transferred to Leyte, Vistal also figured in several encounters with government troopers in 2006.

He was later redeployed to southern Negros after Cebu and Bohol were declared insurgency-free by the military.

Vistal was later tasked to command a unit of NPA in southeastern Negros, and his wife formerly served as head of the regional party technical head . He was also tagged as the triggerman in the killing of a certain Basilio Casido in Siaton, Negros Oriental.

Both are now locked up at the Cebu Police Provincial Office jail.* GPB

back to top