Authorities arrested a couple suspected as high ranking officials of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) in a joint military and police operation in Getafe, Bohol.
Lt Col Allan Tabudlo, commander of the 47th Infantry (Katapatan) Battalion based in Tubigon, Bohol, said in a statement that the couple, Rey Camacho, 51, and his wife, Carmelita, 48, were arrested by virtue of a warrant of arrest for murder issued by a Bohol regional trial court.
Tabudlo said Rey, who carries four aliases, namely Jeboy, Teddy, Chad and Val, was the finance staff of the CPP-NPA, while Carmelita, alias Maureen or Inday, was head of the National Commission Special Operations Group (NCSOG).
The joint forces cornered the couple at a communist terrorist group (CTG) lair in Tulang village of Getafe when authorities served the warrant at 5.30 am on Feb 8.
Camacho was the former secretary of the Komiteng Rehiyon Central Visayas–Regional Operational Command, then later installed as its commander, before he became the Regional Finance Tax Implementing Group head for Negros, Cebu, Bohol and Siquijor.
His wife Carmelita became NFC staff before she joined the special operations group in charge of the three regions of the Visayas.
Recovered from the couple were two laptop computers, three handguns (two .38 calibre and one .45 calibre handguns) and ammunition, two hand grenades, one hard case of various explosives, detonating cords and blasting caps, 15 cellular phones, several flash drives, subversive propaganda documents, sacks of butane and other camping paraphernalia.
Tabudlo claimed that the arrest of Camacho couple was a result of the merging efforts of the security forces and the locals who reported the latter’s whereabouts in Bohol.