After more than a month of searching, police and military operatives on Tuesday arrested Army 1st Lt. Lawrence San Juan, one of four fugitive Magdalo rebel officers, at a checkpoint at Padre Garcia, Batangas. Batangas police chief Senior Supt. Francisco Don Montenegro said San Juan and two other companions were nabbed at a checkpoint at San Felipe village while onboard a white Mitsubishi Adventure vehicle with plate number XAY-269. Provincial police identified San Juan's two companions as Jose Christopher Belmonte and Albert Guyal. They said they will look into the ownership of the vehicle, as well as the profiles of Guyal and Belmonte. Initial reports said one of San Juan's alleged cohorts was a lawyer, while the other was believed to be a member of the New People's Army. All three purportedly did not resist arrest and were "safe" during their stay in Lipa City at the Cavite provincial police headquarters inside Camp Malvar. They reportedly stayed quiet throughout their captivity. San Juan underwent debriefing and was later flown in via helicopter to Camp Crame. Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Generoso Senga said National Police chief Director Gen. Arturo Lomibao flew to Batangas to "look into the situation" and to discuss with Army chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez on Tuesday said San Juan may be charged with sedition for previously calling for the ouster of the Arroyo government. Contrary to the reports of the Batangas police, however Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Generoso Senga told GMA 7’s DZBB that he received information that San Juan was arrested during an operation by a joint team of police and military operatives. Senga, during the radio interview, quoted a report from Esperon, saying "It [arrest] was part of follow-up operations the joint team was conducting," Senga said. He said the operatives have been tailing San Juan "for some time" now. San Juan would likely be turned over to the custody of the Army, Senga said. He said military and police agents would conduct a joint investigation on the arrest of San Juan and his companions. The military chief also said the AFP would look into the various radio interviews granted by a man claiming to be San Juan at about the same time that the "real" San Juan was arrested in Batangas. "We cannot speculate on that. Pero siguro mga kapanalig din niya ang gumagawa niyan. Ganoon siguro ang ginagawa nilang palabas. Aalamin natin. Pero maliwanag naman ang report ng Army commander natin," Senga said. San Juan, who was last assigned with the military’s Light Reaction Company, and three other members of the Magdalo group escaped from their Army detention facility on January 17. His other companions in the escape - Capt. Nathaniel Rabonza, and 1st Lts. Sonny Sarmiento and Patricio Bumidang - are still at large. After their escape, at least eight Army teams have been tapped to conduct manhunt operations against them. The four fugitives have called for not only a change of political and military leaders, but a new government free of corruption as well. Armed Forces spokesman Col. Tristan Kison on Tuesday said San Juan’s debriefing would focus on obtaining information on the whereabouts of the three other fugitives. -GMANEWS.TV
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