đź“·Courtesy of Altermidya
KARAPATAN condemns the arbitrary arrest and detention on trumped-up charges of National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace consultant Wigberto Villarico. Villarico was arrested by combined military and police elements led by the Armed Forces of the Philippines Joint Task Force Katagalugan and the Philippine National Police in Barangay Fairview, Quezon City on October 24, 2024 with a companion, Marjorie Lizada.
Villarico’s arrest brings to three the number of NDFP consultants unjustly arrested this month. Porferio Tuna was arrested in Tagum City on October 2, 2024 while Cordillera People’s Democratic Front (CPDF) spokesperson Simeon “Ka Filiw” Naogsan was seized in Bacarra, Ilocos Norte on October 21, 2024.
Their arrests, along with the torture and killings earlier this year of NDFP consultants Concha Araneta and Ariel Arbitrario, all prohibited under the Joint Agreement of Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) and the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) duly signed by the NDFP and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP), are dark clouds hovering over the ongoing peace talks between the NDFP and the GRP. It is evident that some elements within the GRP security sector are determined to sabotage the talks.
Villarico’s family is also gravely concerned over his health and welfare, considering his age and medical condition. At 68, he suffers from spondylitis, hypertension, heart arrhythmia, asthma, diabetes and prostate enlargement, among others. He must be accorded his rights to competent medical care and legal assistance under International Humanitarian Law.
Meanwhile, the AFP is caught in its own lies with Villarico’s arrest. The military alleges that one of Villarico’s aliases is “Benjamin Mendoza.” Yet in October 2012, the 2nd Infantry Division of the Philippine Army had already arrested a security guard who, they claimed, is “Benjamin Mendoza” with a PhP5.6-million bounty on his head. The security guard, Rolly Panesa, was severely tortured and illegally detained before the courts ruled that he is not Benjamin Mendoza.
In a situation that could only be called farcical, then Southern Luzon Command chief Maj. Gen. Alan Luga tried to block Panesa’s release and continued to list his arrest as one of the AFP’s “accomplishments.” Admitting to their mistake would have compelled them to return the P5.6-million bounty they had already feasted on.
With the multi-million peso bounties being dangled by the Marcos Jr. regime for the neutralization of purported communist leaders, another “Benjamin Mendoza” may turn up in the future under this arbitrary, greed-driven system of “orders of battle” and rewards.
KARAPATAN calls for the immediate release of Villarico, Lizada and all other unjustly arrested NDFP consultants and staff and the junking of the trumped-up charges against them in accordance with the JASIG and the CARHRIHL. Their release will support current efforts to revive the peace talks and help lay the foundations of just and lasting peace in the country.
