Caraga RPOC admits deadlock on talks for release of 3 Surigao cops, national gov’t intervention sought by Ben Serrano January 17, 2015 BUTUAN CITY- The Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) of Caraga Region admit deadlock on talks for the safe release of three Surigao del Norte cops who are still up to this writing remained in the hands of their captors, the New People’s Army. The three Surigao del Norte lawmen have been held captives by NPA rebels for more than two months now after their abductions in two separate incidents at broad daylight in full public view by the NPA rebels. The children of the three cops have been reportedly crying almost daily after their abducted parents failed to show up for a family celebration including attending mass on Christmas and New Years Day During RPOC emergency meeting yesterday (January 16, 2015) and followed by a press conference held at the AFP Caraga Headquarters here in Barangay Bancasi, Butuan City, Caraga RPOC Chair Butuan City Mayor Ferdinand Amante, Jr. told newsmen that all talks between NPA rebels and the military both initiated by the RPOC and the third party composed of religious and civil society sectors bogged down. “I, being the chairman of the RPOC had been trying all the best I can so that these lawmen, one of them is a policewoman, can be release but all our efforts for months seemed not enough thus I will now asked intervention of the national government on this issue” Amante during the press conference said. Amante said he and Surigao del Norte Governor Sol Forcadilla Matugas already wrote and even personally asked the military to heed to the request to stop all military operations, peace and development activities in the meantime just to pave way for the release. Amante claimed that they also asked the military for temporarily pull out of troops in the area where the place of the release and release ceremonies will be held. “But the military explained to me that they can’t totally pull out their troops just like that, as per demands by the New People’s Army because they have sworn duty to protect ordinary residents and citizens who requested their presence there” Amante said. Philippine Army’s 4th ID Commanding General Major General Oscar Lactao who was present at the news conference is quick to react by saying he already ordered all military operations suspended since government has declared SOMO in observance of the yuletide season. “I even ordered all our troops since SOMO started to pave way for our brother NPA rebels to hold ceremonies or whatever rites they will held for release of the three Surigao del Norte lawmen apart from stop of all military operations yet until now they refused to release them” Lactao said. “On the NPA’s demands for complete military pull out before the three Surigao del Norte cops will be release, that we cannot do because we have sword duty to protect, to protect civilians and our territory” Lactao added. Lactao further explained that he and his top field commanders who were also present at the news conference that they were all confused why the NPA always changed and keep on changing its demands saying at first all the NPA has demanded was suspension of the military operation or SOMO. “And the SOMO was given but they did not release the kidnapped victims. Here is another, why call kidnapped cops Prisoners of War or POW, They are not POWs but pure and simple victims of kidnapping which is a heinous punishable crime”, Lactao concludes. Caraga Police Regional Director Chief Supt. David Yalong Ombao for his part made an appeal anew to the New People’s Army to release the soonest his men saying children of the three lawmen he called victims of kidnapping are already longing for their parent cops. “Pwede na po ninyo i-release yan. I appeal to our NPA brothers and sisters na pwede naman nila pauwi-in yan mga pulis natin kug gusto nila” Ombao added. Brigadier General Jonathan Ponce, Commanding Officer of the 402nd Brigade who was also present at the news conference assured however safety of all. This is just in case custodial forces of the NPA will hold ceremonial rites for the release of the three captive cops saying he already ordered his troops to allow the NPA rebels in holding ceremonial rites or whatever only for the release of the lawmen. “But still they did not release the three cops. What kind of assurance they want pa? And instead they continue of blaming us for the delay of the release when the problem is not us but them” Ponce added. Ponce issued assurance anew that should the NPA rebels decided at anytime to hold ceremonial rites, they will not touch even a finger of any NPA rebels as it will also endanger the lives of the three captive Surigao cops including civilians and officials who will fetch and attend the NPA release ceremony. The military’s 402nd Brigade holds area of responsibility and jurisdiction over entire areas of Surigao del Norte Deadlock further worsened after NPA rebels stood pat on their demands In a press statement, NDF-Northeast Mindanao Spokesperson Maria Malaya claimed the release supposedly scheduled today Saturday January 17, 2015 have been cancelled by NDF. Malaya said the NDF and emissaries from Interior Secretary Mar Roxas had already negotiated the release of Police Officers 1 Jorie M. Amper and Marichel U. Contemplo, and PO3 Democrito B. Polvorosa for January 17. However, the Armed Forces refused to yield to the NDF demand that it temporarily withdraw the soldiers engaged in Civil Operations for Peace and Development (COPD) in Barangays Sico-sico and Camam-onan in Gigaquit, Surigao del Norte, and send them to their camp in Barangay Mahanub, Gigaquit, even as the personnel at the Barangay Sico-sico detachment will remain. This, Malaya said, compelled the NDF to defer the release of the captives. “To facilitate the safe and orderly release of the three policemen and to avoid possible encounter between the NPA and the Armed Forces, the NDF-NEMR requested that military units conducting COPD operations in barangays Sico-sico and Camam-onan, Gigaquit, Surigao del Norte, to temporarily withdraw to their base camp in Barangay Mahanub, Gigaquit, Surigao del Norte, even as the personnel of the Barangay Sico-sico detachment remain in place,” she added. “Despite negotiations, Brig. Gen. Jonathan Ponce, head of the Army’s 402nd Infantry Brigade, refused to meet this request, a position that seriously endangered not only the lives of the three policemen but of their family and loved ones and others who wish to watch their actual release,” Malaya added. “Having been informed of this, the NDF-NEMR deemed it necessary to call off the release and ordered the NPA Custodial Force to relocate to a safer place,” she said. Malaya explained the release of the three policemen was a gesture of peace during the papal visit and a positive response to the plea of the relatives that they all be reunited. It was also a confidence-building measure for the resumption of the peace talks between the NDF and the government, she said. “With these three reasons, the Armed Forces should not have found it difficult to consider the simple request of the NPA Custodial Force, the family, the local third-party facilitators, the local crisis committee of the Surigao del Norte province, the chairman of the Peace and Order Council of Caraga Mayor Ferdinand Amante and, most especially, the office of Roxas. “In spite of the military’s outright refusal, we thank all those who genuinely gave effort to somehow make the release possible,” Malaya concludes. (-30-)
Posted on: Sat, 17 Jan 2015 05:57:48 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015