• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Five suspected New People’s Army rebels, who were reported by the police as having been involved in the armed encounters in Toboso on April 19, were arrested on Wednesday night at the Circumferential Road in Barangay Matab-ang, Talisay City, Negros Occidental.
The joint operation carried out by the Regional Intelligence Division of Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region, in coordination with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Regional Mobile Force Battalion-NIR, PNP Special Action Force, and 79th Infantry Battalion led to the arrest of Glemmar Ruelis Bacusmo, Danny Boy Pacheco, Judy Caramihan, Julie Balora, and Jerome Seballos.
Their arrests yielded four caliber .45 pistols with magazines containing ammunition, and two fragmentation grenades, according to regional police spokesperson Lt. Col. Joem Malong.
Police operatives were serving an arrest warrant against Bacusmo for attempted murder during their arrest.
Bacusmo ranks number two in the list of Most Wanted Persons in Negros Island Region, as he faces string of criminal cases such as multiple murder, multiple frustrated murder, theft, robbery, crimes against humanitarian law and genocide, according to Malong said.
He was earlier reported by the military to have been killed in the armed skirmishes in Toboso.
Malong said the arrested individuals were part of the group previously involved in an armed encounter with the 79th Infantry Battalion in Toboso, Negros Occidental, from which they managed to escape, and some even had gunshot wounds.*
