AN ALLEGED finance officer of the New People’s Army was arrested in Marihatag, San Agustin, Surigao del Sur on Friday.
The suspect was identified as Sarvina Rivas Quijano who was arrested at a checkpoint while onboard a multi-cab with plate number YCZ 583 driven by Jovencito P. Lozada.
1Lt. Krisjuper Andreo Punsalan, the civil-military operations officer of the 3rd Special Forces Battalion, said soldiers and police officers manning the checkpoint noticed in plain view some rifle grenades inside the vehicle.
A thorough check of the vehicle led to the discovery of two improvised explosive devices, a blasting cap with detonating cord, three rifle grenades, five analog cellular phones, one laptop computer, subversive documents, numerous SIM cards, external drive, and a memory card allegedly owned by the suspect.
Punsalan said that Quijano is the party wife of Marcelino Tampos Navarro alias Marsing, the Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee’s deputy secretary and head of education and propaganda who was killed in an encounter with government forces in Sitio Panukmoan, Diatagon, Lianga on July 7 this year.
Maj. Gen. Andres C. Centino, the commander of Joint Task Force Diamond and of the 4th Infantry Division, in his previous statement, urged the business sector in Northern Mindanao and Caraga to help end insurgency by not giving in to the NPA’s extortion demands.
“If we do this, coupled with our relentless military operations, hopefully, the insurgency will significantly weaken to a negligible level before the President’s term ends,” he said.
Meanwhile, Quijano is now in the custody of the 1st Police Force Mobile Company for documentation and filing of appropriate criminal charges.
