BACOLOD CITY — Fed up with being victims of extortion and so-called revolutionary taxation, the people of Barangay Quintin Remo, Moises Padilla town, in southern Negros Occidental tipped military authorities about such harassment by leftist rebels in their area.

The arrest of Vicente Mission y Estorco, 45, married, and a resident of Sitio Bunga, Brgy. Quintin Remo was finally effected late last week by a patrol team led by SSGt Labita of the 1st Scout Ranger Battalion.

According to Major Nathaniel Villasor, Civil Military Operations (CMO) Officer of the 303rd Infantry Brigade, the people of said barangay could no longer support the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed cadres in the New People’s Army (NPA) which the arrested Mission is allegedly a part of.

A report prepared by Lt. Col. Antonio Nafarete, Battalion Commander of the Scout Rangers Battalion said that Mission has been the subject of an existing warrant of arrest with criminal case number 3504 for robbery. He is reportedly a member of leftist terrorists operating in the area.

Villasor said CPP/NPA members are no longer exerting efforts to push their ideological struggle to make converts of the local populace where they operate but now merely just fighting for survival. “They are even coddling and recruiting criminals, people who are hiding from the bar of justice, who have become members in their ranks,” according to Villasor.

Suspect Mission is a farmer during the day and is said to be a leftist-terrorist cadre by night, he also said.

Colonel Max Caro, Commanding Officer, 303rd Infantry Brigade, lauded the support and cooperation of the people with government forces that led to the arrest of Mission. “They are already awakened from being silent for so long a time and now, they just want to live peacefully in their community,” he said, even as he urged local folks to “continue supporting the true armed forces, which is the government’s forces.”

Meanwhile, former 611th Provincial Mobile Group (PMG) Director, the late Police Supt. Alex Belonio was buried with full Philippine National Police (PNP) honors at high noon Monday in Sagay City, Negros Occidental.