Acting chair of communist party arrested – NSC

MANILA, Philippines — The acting chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) was arrested on Thursday in a joint military and police operation in Quezon City.

Wigberto “Baylon” Villarico, also known by the aliases Benjamin Mendoza and Alejandro Montalan, is wanted for two counts of kidnapping with murder related to the deaths of Erebeto Eclavea and Richard Cortizano in Quezon province – a case that has remained unsolved for nearly two decades.

The arrest was based on a warrant issued by Judge Rodolfo Obnamia Jr. of the Regional Trial Court Branch 64 in Mauban, Quezon, with no bail recommended for Villarico.

He is in the custody of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group – Southern Police District Field Unit.

National Security Adviser Eduardo Año lauded Villarico’s capture, saying it “closes the chapter on a terrorist fugitive responsible for numerous atrocities against the people, including leading violent purges within the CPP-NPA (New People’s Army) Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee in the 1980s, where many were executed by his own hands.”

“We commend the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict for the successful operation,” he said.

Año said Villarico assumed leadership of the CPP after the death of Benito Tiamzon on Aug. 22, 2022 in a military encounter in Samar.

He added that Villarico was the last communist leader at large capable of commanding both the party and its armed wing, the NPA.

During the raid, authorities also arrested a 35-year-old woman named Marjory on charges of obstruction of justice as she allegedly attempted to hide Villarico’s identity.

Año said the arrest “is a major step in our ongoing efforts to dismantle the leadership of the communist terrorist group and bring lasting peace to our country.”– Emmanuel Tupas, Christine Boton