Manila: A guerrilla leader who played a key role in the January 29 attack at a popular resort south of Metro Manila was captured by government forces recently, the military announced.

Ernesto Samarita, who headed the New Peoples’ Army (NPA) finance committee in Southern Tagalog region was arrested by the Philippine Army recently in the village of Munting Indang in Nasugbu, Batangas, Lt. Xy-zon Meneses, public affairs office chief of the 2nd Infantry Division based in the Calabarzon said.

According to Meneses, Samarita was involved in extortion of businesses and other atrocities in the region and had played a key role in the planning and execution of the Jan 29 raid at the Pico De Loro in Resort in Nasugbu.

Already popular with local and international holiday makers, the Pico De Loro resort gained more prominence after the Miss Universe organisers held one of the events of the recent pageant there last January 19.

On the early morning of January 29, some 30 heavily armed men wearing uniforms with patches of the Philippine Air Force, raided the resort and carted about 40 pieces of firearms of the establishment’s private security personnel.

According to Meneses, Samarita, who has a standing warrant of arrest, was nabbed in Munting Indang after government troops got wind of his presence there.

The raid at Pico de Loro last month and other attacks carried out by the Communist Party of the Philippines-led (CPP) NPA had prompted the government to cancel the peace negotiations with the left-wing rebels early this month.

Armed forces of the Philippine (AFP) Public Affairs Office Chief, Marine Colonel Edgard Arevalo said since the collapse of the peace talks, 51 NPAs had already surrendered and more are expected to give themselves up to authorities in various parts of the country where the rebels operate.

“The exodus is expected to continue with numerous others sending their surrender fillers to the AFP.

“While we are preparing for the eventual laying down of arms by these NPA members, their surrenders are without conditions apart from the programme afforded by Government to rebel returnees.

“On February 23 alone, the AFP received ten surrendered from the NPA.

Two more rebels surrendered in 24 February 2017 — Allan Mating, 19 years old, surrendered to the 25th Infantry Battalion in Compostela Valley, while Arjay Bangue surrendered with his M16 rifle to the 73rd Infantry Battalion in Davao Occidental,” Arevalo reports.

He added that the military has also recovered a total of 37 high-powered and low-powered firearms from the NPAs since three weeks ago.

The ensuing encounters between government forces and the NPAs left 14 rebels dead.

To fend off attacks, the NPA resorted to capturing government soldiers, policemen and militiamen.

“The AFP is also on track with regard to its rescue operations aimed at freeing the NPA’s captives. At present, they are holding six individuals; soldiers Pfc Erwin Salan, Sgt Solaiman Calocop, and Pfc Samuel Garay; militia member Rene Doller; and two police personnel,” said Arevalo.

The CPP-NPA had been fighting to establish a communist state patterned along the ideology of the late Chinese leader Mao Tse Tung.