NPA: Continuing Military Operations Threaten POW Release

According to the New People’s Army, military and police operations continue in Southern Tagalog despite the 30-day suspension declared by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. If true, they threaten the impending release of NPA prisoner of war Major Noel Buan and can only feed speculation that ranking military and police officials are indeed resisting, on the ground, Arroyo’s public peace overtures.

By SANDRA NICOLAS

“Right now all I can think about is to be with my family,” said New People’s Army (NPA) prisoner of war (POW) Philippine Army Major Noel Buan in an interview a few weeks ago. Although the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) has recently been facilitating Buan’s release on humanitarian grounds and as a goodwill measure for the coming peace talks with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP), he might yet have to wait still longer.

Buan was captured on July 7, 1999 in Lucena, Quezon province by a unit of the NPA’s Melito Glor Command (MGC). He has been indicted by the revolutionary movement for his active participation in various “vicious and massive” military campaigns (“Oplans”) during 15 years of his military career and, particularly, for having “engaged in acts of espionage” under Oplan Makabayan since June 1998.

Soon after Arroyo declared a 30-day suspension of military operations (Somo) and suspension of police operations (Sopo) in 11 provinces around Manila beginning March 12, the NDFP announced that Buan would be released “before April 11.”

Continuing operations

However a March 26 statement issued by Tirso “Ka Bart” Alcantara, spokesperson of the MGC and NDF-Southern Tagalog, says that the Somo and Sopo are being grossly violated in Quezon, Batangas and Mindoro Oriental provinces. “The Somo and Sopo are only on paper,” he said.

The statement cites recent examples of supposed military and police operations. For instance it claims that the 76^th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army was active in Macalelon town and other parts of South Quezon from March 17-19. It also says that operations are on-going in Lopez, Sariaya, Mariban and Unisan towns.

In Batangas, it cites operations and intelligence gathering of the Philippine Marines in Batulao town on March 19, a combined military and police operation in Lobo town on March 6, and other on-going activity in Nasugbu town.

In Mindoro Oriental, Special Action Forces ostensibly conducted operations into interior barangays (villages) and had roving checkpoints in Roxas and Victoria towns on March 19 and 23, and has on-going movements in Roxas, Mansalay and Bulalacao towns.

Alcantara said that the military and police have not learned from the “botched rescue operation” on March 7 in Gen. Nakar, Quezon in which NPA POW Police Chief Inspector Abelardo Martin was killed.

He warned that the continuing operations place Buan’s life in danger as well as hinder the process of the POW’s release. Alcantara further warned that the MGC “will cancel the impending release of POW Buan if the violations [of the Somo and Sopo] by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police continue.”

The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), through its chief negotiator Luis Jalandoni, has likewise issued a statement condemning the Somo and Sopo violations.

Rifts within the government

The recent statement comes on the heels of the “discovery” of mass graves of supposed victims of a purge within the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA in Mindanao in 1984-1986. The disclosure of the “discovery” was apparently timed to coincide with the NPA’s 32^nd founding anniversary on Thursday.

Some observers have taken the botched rescue operation for Martin despite his impending release, the continuing violations of the Somo and Sopo, and the timing of the release of the discovery of the mass graves as signs of sharp rifts within the Arroyo government. Arroyo has been candid with her desire to pursue peace talks with the NDFP and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

The party-list group Bayan Muna issued a statement condemning the latest military propaganda gimmick as aiming to undermine the bargaining position of the Communist-led NDFP in the upcoming peace talks. “The hawks in the AFP would do anything to imperil the peace talks and prevent the Left from gaining ground in the battle over public opinion.”

In an interview reported in the March 30 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Col. Roland Rodriguez, deputy commander of the Army’s 701^st Brigade in Compostela Valley and former intelligence chief of the 4^th Infantry Division said, “There may be some (military) elements who are not in favor of the peace talks and that’s why they’re reviving this old issue against the Communist rebels.”

Observers have noted that whenever peace talks with the NDFP gain momentum, there usually also arises a campaign to demonize the Left. 

Sources said that preparations for the release of Buan are already underway. The release is expected to be attended by representatives of the NDFP, GRP and the International Committee of the Red Cross, human rights lawyers and groups, religious, a medical team, a documentation team and tri-media.  #