Arrest of GRP members by NPAs feared

A party-list congressman on Saturday expressed fears that the New People’s Army (NPA) might arrest members of the GRP (government of the Republic of the Philippines) peace panel in retaliation for the arrest of National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace panel consultant Rafael Baylosis.

Anakpawis Party-list Rep. Ariel Casilao said government’s refusal to heed the call for the release of Baylosis and its continued manhunt of personalities who participated in the unsuccessful peace talks between the government and the NDFP might totally spoil the peace efforts.

“This can be an unending vicious cycle,” warned Casilao.

While Casilao clarified that the possible NPA arrest of members of the GRP panel is a hypothetical

scenario, he recalled that such event had happened in the past.

“It happened before, well, the NDFP, NPA (New People’s Army) and the CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines) have also targeted GRP personalities,” he said.

Casilao assailed the arrest of Baylosis on trumped up charges, saying this incident provided a serious drawback to peace efforts in the country.

“If this will continue, ang mga arrest of those who were temporarily released on bail na mga NDF consultants, baka aabot sa punto na iyong NPA ang mag-declare din na sige, aarestuhin din namin ang mga GRP negotiators and consultants,” he told reporters during a news forum inQuezon City.

Police and military operatives rearrested Baylosis and his companion, Roque Guillermo Jr., last Wednesday. The arresting officers claimed to have confiscated two .45 caliber pistols and bullets from the two.

Lawyer Rachel Pastores, counsel for Baylosis, assailed the police story as a “bad script.” She pointed out that it is very unlikely for a known figure in the peace process to carry a firearm on the streets.

Casilao called for the resumption of peace negotiations between the communist and the government.

“The only way for President Duterte to resolve the problem, as proven by history, is not by sheer might. Peace talks remain the best option,” he said.

Earlier, Reps. Carlos Isagani Zarate (Bayan Muna Party list) and Antonio Tinio (ACT Teachers Partylist) assailed the Duterte administration for the arrest, saying the arrest of Baylosis is a “blatant violation of the 1995 Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) that remained binding between government and the NDFP.

Zarate described the arrest as “ill-advised” and can be interpreted as “harassment” against NDFP consultants and personnel.

Zarate pointed out that despite the Duterte government's pronouncements about ending the peace talks, “up till now, the GRP peace panel did not send yet any written and official termination of the peace negotiations to the NDFP panel as provided for under JASIG.”

“The arrest can be interpreted as harassment against the NDFP consultants and personnel to weaken their stance in the talks, particularly in the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER) now pending on the peace table,” said the party-list lawmaker.

Tinio, together with partymate Rep. France Castro, decried the arrest on the basis of a warrant of arrest for trumped up charges.”

“This is a clear violation of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees and the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law,” Castro said.