PNP and AFP bagged P5.8M for arresting a different man, again

By KARAPATAN
August 16, 2014

QUEZON CITY – "Kumita na naman ang mga pulis at militar!" (The police and military just got richer!) Cristina Palabay, Karapatan secretary general said referring to the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) who allegedly profited from the recent arrest of 60-year old Eduardo Esteban.

Last August 5, 2014 in Jaro, Iloilo, Eduardo Esteban was arrested under a warrant for Manuel Esteban, an alleged ranking leader of the New People's Army in Ilocos-Cordillera. Manuel Esteban with aliases Bonnie/Jun/Bennie has a P5.8 million bounty which has just been rewarded for the arrest of Eduardo.

Eduardo Esteban was at home in the morning of August 5 in Brgy. Buntala, Jaro, Iloilo City when joint elements of the PNP and AFP arrested him. The arresting officers showed a warrant of arrest for a murder charge issued by Judge Corpus B. Alzate of the Abra RTC Branch 2. Attached to the arrest warrant is an order from the said court, amending an information filed by the Provincial Prosecutor, "the name Esteban Manuel or Manuel Esteban appearing on the face of the information be changed to Eduardo A. Esteban to conform with the evidence/documents submitted to this Court." This order was dated June 26, 2013.

The name “Manuel Esteban” appears to be in the list of Department of National Defense-Department of Interior and Local Government’s Joint Order in Reward (JOR) Number 14-2012. Some 235 names were on the said list with warrants of arrest, all of whom are alleged “CPP/NPA/NDF leaders.”

Contrary to AFP Chief Gen. Gregorio Catapang’s statement on the arrest, Eduardo Esteban has retired from the Communist Party of the Philippines 10 years ago. Before his arrest, he was living with his family and owns a sari-sari store in his hometown in Iloilo. Eduardo Esteban has been suffering from diabetes and is a cancer survivor.

In a statement issued by Communist Party of the Philippines, Eduardo Esteban was never part of revolutionary forces in Ilocos-Cordillera Region.

"This is no different from the case of security guard Rolly Panesa who was arrested under the warrant for NPA leader Benjamin Mendoza," Palabay cited. "The AFP bagged P5.6M for Panesa's arrest," she added. After 10 months of detention, the Court of Appeals resolved that Mendoza is NOT Panesa and ordered for his release,” Palabay said.

She also cited the case of farmer Olegario Sevas, who was arrested in December 2011 in Negros Occidental under the warrant against "Filemon Mendrez,” an alleged NPA leader. Anti-mining activist Romeo Rivera is also imprisoned and is facing several criminal charges filed against a certain “Felix Armodia,” alleged Front Secretary of the CPP-NPA.

“All of these cases has an equivalent reward money which the AFP claimed," Palabay said.