A NATIONAL Democratic Front (NDF) peace consultant was arrested in a house in Novaliches, Quezon City on Thursday morning.
The NDF is an umbrella group that counts the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army, the CPP’s armed wing, as members, among other organizations.
According to Guillermo Eleazar, regional director of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), Vicente Ladlad, Antonio de Jesus and “Anna” were arrested by members of the police and the military in a raid on a house of a friend of Ladlad at about 12 midnight in Barangay San Bartolome.
Authorities said they confiscated two long firearms, three short firearms, four hand grenades and subversive documents.
Eleazar said Ladlad was positively identified by former rebels who are now working with the government.
The NDF consultant, de Jesus and “Anna” are currently under the custody of the NCRPO and will face charges for violating Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.
Ladlad’s wife Fides went to the NCRPO headquarters to see her husband after the arrest.
She told reporters that the firearms found in the house where her husband was arrested were planted by the raiders.
“Everything is fake. This is what they are doing for all of us to come out... I want all of those guns fingerprinted because if those really belong to Vic (Ladlad’s nickname), his fingerprints should be there,” Fides said in English and Filipino.
In response, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Oscar Albayalde said they will subject the firearms to ballistic and fingerprint tests to see if the guns really belong to Ladlad.
Eleazar said it is normal for members of the Left to claim that firearms are planted.
Quezon City Police District Director and Chief Supt. Joselito Esquivel will verify if the firearms were licensed but based on their search warrants, he said, none of the suspects has the right to own the guns.
Fides’ claim was echoed also on Thursday by former Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares and incumbent Bayan party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate.
Colmenares said the arrest and the “planted evidence” were a way of silencing critics under the Duterte administration.
Fides said she will file a case against the PNP for arresting her husband, a move that was welcomed by Albayalde.
Human rights group Karapatan called for the release of Ladlad and his companions, saying their arrest was a violation of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (Jasig) that protects peace consultants from arrest and detention.
Albayalde said Ladlad violated the law, therefore his arrest is not a political issue. “We cannot use Jasig and other similar agreements just so we can hide that person. This is a simple or blatant violation of law, which is possession of loose firearms.”
Albayalde, who celebrated his 55th birthday on Thursday, denied that the arrest is a “birthday gift” to him.
Before Ladlad, several peace consultants were arrested after Duterte terminated peace talks with the NDF, including Rafael Baylosis, Adelberto Silva and Ferdinand Castillo.
Malacañang also on Thursday said there was nothing illegal in the arrest of Ladlad.|
In a news conference, Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said Jasig was no longer operative because the President had scrapped the peace talks with the communists.
With a reports from CATHERINE S. VALENTE AND GLEE JALEA