Duterte says arrest of Tiamzons would not kill insurgency

But bats for resumption of GPH-NDF peace talks 

BY ROGER M. BALANZA

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has echoed the claim of Jose Ma. Sison, exiled Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder, that the arrest of two CPP top leaders cannot put an end to the revolutionary movement.

But trumpeting the arrest, Malacanang said the arrest was a big blow to the communist movement. 

You can kill the person but not the ideology, said Duterte, commenting on the arrest of CPP head Benito Tiamzon, his wife Wilma Austria Tiamzon in Cebu, in his Gikan sa Masa Para sa Masa television program on ABS/CBN-Davao on Sunday, March 30,

“You kill Tiamzon but the fight continues,” he said.

Despite my arrest during martial law, the armed revolution did not stop but continued to grow because the root causes of the armed revolution were not at all solved by capture and detention,” said Sison in an interview with a Philippine broadsheet after the arrest of the Tiamzons, in an attempt to belittle the arrest’s impact on the revolutionary struggle.

Duterte also said the arrest of the Tiamzons could strike another blow at the mothballed peace negotiations between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the National Democratic Front (NDF), the political arm of leftist organizations in the Philippines.

Before the arrest of the Tiamzons, there were persistent reports that the peace negotiations would be resumed.

The off-and-on peace talk was last suspended in 2011 over the NDF’s demand that arrested leaders of the NDF be released prior to resumption of new rounds of talks.

Sison, Jalandoni (NDF chief negotiator Luis Jalandoni), Tiamzon…they are very important in the peace talks, he said.

Duterte said the arrest of the Tiamzons may have violated prior agreements on immunity from arrest of NDF personalities.

He admitted he did not have full grasp of the agreements but said he had been given inputs about its provisions by former Justice Secretary Silvestre Bello III, now sitting in Congress for the partylist group I-BAP, who chaired the Philippine government panel in talks with the NDF in Norway in 2001.

 

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, however said the Tiamzons cannot invoke immunity from arrest under the Philippine-NDF Joint Agreement on Security and Immunity Guarantees (Jasig) because the talks have been suspended. She also said the Tiamzons have two standing warrants of arrest.

Bello, interviewed by alternative online news Davao Today, said nothing has changed since Jasig was signed by the government and NDFP during his time at the Department of Justice.

“There is not change in the Jasig because it is still the agreement that governs,” Bello told the Davao City-based news site.

“The Jasig took effect upon signing by the parties and will be in effect until it is terminated by either party through a written notice,” Bello said. “The idea is for them to consult with their forces, so that they go around to talk to their people because they conduct their own negotiations with us. In order not for them to be arrested while they are going around, we issued them a safe conduct pass.”

The Philippine military says Benito Tiamzon is the current head of the CPP and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA).

Nevertheless, Duterte said he hoped that the legality or not of the Tiamzons’ arrest would be “sorted out as soon as possible” and the government and the NDF should resume the talks.

  

Army spokesman tags NPA rebels as peace saboteurs and ‘political terrorists’

MANILA, Oct. 8 (PNA) -– The spokesman of the Philippine Army Saturday branded the New People’s Army (NPA) rebels as peace saboteurs and political terrorists following last Monday’s attacks by about 300 insurgents on three mining firms in Surigao del Norte.

Col. Tony Parlade, Army spokesman, said the coordinated attacks have “confirmed our earlier statements that their leadership (Communist Party of the Philippines/National Democratic Front (CPP/NDF) does not have control over their local terrorist leaders.”

Parlade said that the raids have shown that CPP/NPA/NDF leadership has no control over Jorge Madlos, a ranking rebel leader operating in north eastern Mindanao, or his son who have defied orders by carrying out attacks despite an ongoing peace talks.

“This is another cheap political stunt of the CPP that proves too costly to our economy,” Parlade said, adding that “your Army (Philippine Army) can only do so much.”

“Eventually, the people and other stakeholders should decide whether to support these bandits or their government to stop these saboteurs of peace and progress,” he said.

“We don’t want anymore of these ‘political terrorists’”, Parlade said.

Last Monday, some 300 heavily armed NPA rebels simultaneously attacked the Taganito Mining Company, Nickel Asia Corp., and the Platinum Metal Corp. all in Claver, Surigao del Norte and burned heavy equipment worth P3 billion.

NPA RAID. Burned equipment of Nickel Asia

Destroyed by the rebels were 132 dump trucks, nine barges, 22 backhoes, two cranes, two bulldozers, two compactors, one grader, several buildings and office equipment.

The rebels were infuriated when the three companies refused to pay revolution tax demanded by the NPA.

The coordinated attacks came at a time when the government and the NDF peace panels were scheduled to resume their peace negotiations in Oslo, Norway later this month.

Supt. Martin Gamba, spokesman of Police Regional Office 13, has confirmed the nefarious activities of the NPA in Surigao del Norte.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has launched a counter offensive against the NPA rebels who attacked the three mining companies.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos-Deles said that these atrocities by the communist have made the peace process difficult.

“Peace talks are more difficult when there is no accompanying ceasefire on the ground,” Deles.

“Hostile attacks such as the one conducted by the NPA in three mining areas in Surigao del Norte undermine people’s confidence in the peace process, creating a ‘disconnect’ between agreements made on the peace table and what is happening on the ground.”

But in spite of the attacks, Deles said the “government is still committed to push through with the peace negotiations. We continue to look for peaceful resolution to all armed conflict — and hope the other party will listen more to our people’s aspirations for peace and devote more energies on making the peace table work.” (PNA)

DURIANBURGDAVAO News Forum For Peace In Mindanao

Rody spent no government money to transport wounded rebs

Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte denied he used government money in the transport of three New People’s Army rebels wounded in clashes with military troopers in Davao Oriental and Surigao del Sur.

            I used my own money said Duterte.

            Duterte said expenses for the plane transport of the rebels came from his personal fund—raised by his political supporters.

Two weeks ago, communist rebel leader Ka Jess sought the vice mayor’s assistance on May 30 for the medical treatment of three comrades who sustained severe gunshot wounds in an encounter with soldiers from the Army’s 67th Infantry Battalion.

Vanessa Tropico delos Reyes, 26, of Calinan Davao City, along with Jason Casilum of Boston, Davao Oriental, and Ariel Haducala of Dinagat, Surigao del Sur were wounded after the encounter with the government troops in Sitio Carampel, Barangay Aliwagwag, Cateel, Davao Oriental on May 29.

Duterte said he could never use the city government peace and order fund in assisting the wounded rebels because he has no access to the fund.

It is only the mayor who can use the peace and order fund.

Duterte defended the assistance extended to the wounded rebels saying he has been doing the same humanitarian act to wounded troopers or those abducted by the NPA.

For many years now Rody has been consistently ask by the NPA to mediate in the release of troopers taken as prisoners by the NPA.