By Hader Glang
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines
A woman suspected of being one of the Philippines communist party's top leaders was arrested in a joint police and military security force Saturday after a ten year hunt.
Maria Concepcion “Concha” Araneta-Bocala had a P7.8 million ($171,000) bounty on her head and was wanted on murder and rebellion charges.
The 64-year-old was captured in Calumpang Molo, Iloilo City in Western Visayas and brought to the criminal investigation and detection group where she is being questioned, the Inquirer reported Saturday.
Bocala is said to be the party's secretary general for Panay Island in the central Philippines.
The report stated that she was arrested with two helpers, and authorities had also seized a fragmentation grenade, .45-caliber and .22-caliber pistols, ammunition, cell phones, a laptop, and an external hard drive.
Citing a statement from senior investigator Supt. Peter Naboye, the Inquirer reported that the arrest occurred after a year-long surveillance operation.
"Joint police and military operatives from CIDG (criminal investigation and detection group) and armed forces of the Philippines cornered her in a house at Juntado Subdivision, in Barangay Calumpang, Molo District, early Saturday morning.
"The arrest was done on the strength of an arrest warrant issued to Araneta-Bocala for a crime of murder issued by a court in Antique. She also faced a separate arrest warrant for rebellion issued by a court in Antique," the Inquirer report said.
In a press conference, police regional director Chief. Supt. Bernardo Diaz said Bocala has been the subject of a decade-long manhunt.
He said that her nephew, Joseph Cariaga, and helper, Anniely Soldevilla, were also taken into custody for further investigation.
Bocala's lawyer, Janne Baterna, later claimed that her client is a holder of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees, which should render her safe from arrest or prosecution.
