Bounty against Ka Oris, NDFP consultants violate JASIG – CPP

By CPP Information Bureau
August 17, 2012

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) today denounced the Aquino regime for reissuing and raising the bounty against leaders of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) in violation of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG).

This latest move reveals the Aquino regime's lack of serious intent with regard peace negotiations with the NDFP, said the CPP.

Yesterday, military and security officials of the Aquino regime announced that the bounty for a number of NDFP officials, including Comrades Benito Tiamzon and Jorge Madlos (Ka Oris), has been raised to as much as P5.5 million. Both Tiamzon and Madlos are key and prominent officials of the NDFP, the latter serving as spokesperson of the NDFP in Mindanao.

The JASIG, which was signed by the principals of the Philippine government (GPH) and NDFP in 1998, binds both the GPH and the NDFP to guarantee the security of negotiators, consultants and personnel of the parties engaged in the peace talks. It prohibits subjecting peace personnel of both sides to surveillance, arrest, detention, filing of criminal charges and any persecutorial or punitive acts that would impair their effective participation in the peace talks.

"Since assuming power," added the CPP, "the Aquino regime has been violating the JASIG with impunity." There are a number of NDFP consultants currently incarcerated in various police and military detention centers. These include, among others, Alan Jazmines, Tirso Alcantara, Renante Gamara, Ramon Patriarca, Eduardo Serrano, Eduardo Sarmiento, Pedro Codaste and Randy Malayao.

"The most recent violation of the JASIG was the abduction last August 5 of NDFP-Southern Tagalog consultant Jesus Abetria and a member of his staff, Restituto Galicia, in Kalayaan, Laguna by operatives of the Philippine Army and Philippine National Police."