Police and military intelligence operatives arrested an alleged secretary of the Regional Finance Bureau of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army  Komiteng Rehiyonal-Negros, who is facing arson charges, at the Bacolod-Silay Airport in Silay City, Negros Occidental, Tuesday.

Col. Jonas Sumagaysay, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, yesterday  said the apprehension of Rogina Quilop, with the aliases of Rowena Navarro and alias Ka Jhea, 42,  was made by virtue of an arrest warrant issued by San Carlos Regional Trial Court Judge Kathrine Go, who also denied her bail.

Quilop, who resides at Doña Juliana Heights in Bacolod City, however, vehemently denied having connections with the rebel movement, and being involved in an arson case.

Sumagaysay said the arrest warrant was served to Quilop, 42, as she was arriving from Cebu Tuesday night.

He said the apprehension of Quilop, who had joined the rebel movement in the early 1990s, was another setback to the KR-Negros organization being chaired by priest-turned rebel Frank Fernandez.

With her arrest, Sumagaysay said they may have an idea of how the CPP regional party committee leadership sources its money, and how it is distributed.

Quilop, who was temporarily detained at the Silay City Police Station jail, and turned over yesterday to the San Carlos City Police Jail, claimed she is working with the  Center for People Resources Center, a non-government organization.

Manuel Felipe, CPRS director, who accompanied Navarro and the arresting police intelligence operatives of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, led by Chief Inspector Arnold Mesias, to the Silay City Police Station, also vehemently denied allegations that his co-worker has linked with the rebel movement, in an interview with ABS-CBN.

Human rights group Karapatan-Negros Karapatan-Negros also strongly denounced the arrest of Quilop, claiming that she is an administrative officer of CPRS and manager of the Ma-ao Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Bago City. This is a clear manifestation of continuing political persecution and human rights violations, it said.

Lt. Col. Rodrigo Sosmena, 47th Infantry Battalion commander, meanwhile, also reported the arrest of two alleged armed NPA members for illegal possession of firearms and bladed weapons in Brgy. Santol, Binalbagan, Negros Occidental.

Sosmena identified those arrested as cousins Randy and Huergen Villaespin, who  claimed to be farm laborers.

Recovered from them were a 357 magnum revolver, a .38 caliber revolver and two bladed weapons. Both vehemently denied being NPA members, but admitted possessing and carrying the firearms for “self-protection.”

Sosmena said the two are recruits of the NPA in central Negros, under the command of a certain Ka Raff, and were tasked to monitor movements of soldiers in the hinterlands of Binalbagan town.

Both are now detained at the Binalbagan police station and have been charged for illegal possession of firearms.*GPB

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