A JOINT team from the military and the police arrested a couple who the antiinvoluntary disappearance group Desaparecidos claimed was abducted in Cavite.

Jaime Soledad, tagged by the military as executive committee member of the Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA), and his wife Clarita Luego, were arrested by virtue of four separate warrants of arrest issued by the courts on three cases of multiple murder, murder and frustrated murder, according to the Armed Forces public information officer, Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro.

Soledad is allegedly known in the underground movement as Ka Mike, Tony, Cyril, Anton and Glen, while his wife is known as Ka Joy and Haydee.

Bacarro said the couple was nabbed by soldiers and policemen in Bacoor City, Cavite, on March 20.

Bacarro said Soledad has a standing warrant of arrest issued on March 6, 2007 by Judge Ephrem Abando of Branch 18 of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Hilongos, Leyte, for 15 counts of multiple murder which were borne out by the mass killing of several NPA members in sitio Mount Sapang Dako, barangay Kaulisihan, Inopacan, Leyte, between May and June 1985.

In June 2001 another warrant of arrest for multiple murder was also issued by Judge Cristina Pontejas of the RTC in Baybay, Leyte, against Soledad.

Likewise, a similar warrant for murder and frustrated murder was issued on June 7, 1994 by Judge Numeriano Avila of the RTC in Maasin, Leyte, against the alleged CPP leader.

Bacarro said prior to his arrest, Soledad held various positions in the communist involvement including secretary of the District 2 of the Southern Leyte Provincial Party Committee, Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee; representative to the 1986 cease-fire negotiations and secretary of the  Southern Leyte Front Committee and the Leyte Island Party Committee.

Soledad and Luego are now detained in Camp Vicente Lim in Canlubang, Laguna. They will be turned over to the Leyte courts later.

Meanwhile, suspected NPA guerrillas a road roller in Davao del Norte’s capital town of Tagum City on Monday, police said.

Reports reaching the National Police regional office in Davao City said that four unidentified armed men, believed to be members of the NPA, burned a Dynapac road roller owned by Rely Construction at about 2:00 p.m.

The road roller was being used in a road construction project on purok Banana, La Union, barangay Mankilam, about eight kilometers west of downtown Tagum City.

The gunmen poured gasoline on the road roller and set it on fire before fleeing.

Police investigators said that the contractor had “unsettled problems” with the NPA during his previous projects in Panabo City, Davao del Norte, and in Calinan, Davao City.

SC grants Neri plea to be spared questions

THE Supreme Court (SC) has granted the petition filed by former National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) chief Romulo Neri seeking to enjoin the Senate from compelling him to divulge his discussions with President Arroyo pertaining to the aborted $329-million national broadband network (NBN) project of the government with China’s ZTE Co.

THE Constitution already defined the national territory and fresh attempts to declare the country as an archipelagic state under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) would require Charter amendments as it would, in effect, reduce the territorial boundaries, according to Sen. Miriam Santiago.

THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has tapped the help of travel agencies to help prevent criminals and people using stolen identities from applying for passports.

YET two more watchdog bodies have been set up by President Arroyo to complement administration efforts to run after smugglers,

THE company operating the Small Town Lottery (STL) in Angeles City, Pampanga, has filed a formal complaint before the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) against Angeles City Mayor Francis Nepomuceno for alleged grave abuse of authority and misconduct.

NEWLY appointed Elections Chairman Jose Armando Melo vowed to make the 2010 presidential elections “clean and honest” as he assumed office on Tuesday.

A JOINT team from the military and the police arrested a couple who the antiinvoluntary disappearance group Desaparecidos claimed was abducted in Cavite.

CITY OF MALOLOS—A 69-year-old American was found dead inside his parked vehicle along Macarthur Highway in barangay Pio Cruzcosa, Calumpit, Bulacan, early Tuesday morning.