Bishops meet with military for policeman’s release

CHURCH leaders have met with military officials to discuss the release of a policeman captured by the New People’s Army (NPA) in Bukidnon last month as the clerics have remained hopeful of the continuation of the peace talks between the government and Communist rebels.

Four bishops led by Bishop Felixberto Calang, of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) and Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, of the Roman Catholic Church, sat down with Colonel Jessie Alvarez, assistant division commander of the Philippine Army’s 4th Infantry Divisio (4ID)n, at the 4ID headquarters in Barangay Patag on Monday night.

Alvarez met the bishops on behalf of Major General Benjamin Madrigal, 4ID commander, who was in Davao attending a conference last Monday.

The bishops are affiliated with the Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform and Sowing the Seeds of Peace in Mindanao, two groups that act as third-party facilitators and who have actively been engaged in negotiating for the release of servicemen held captive by the NPA in the region in the past.

During the meeting, Calang said the clergies relayed to the military the request of the National

Democratic Front-Northcentral Mindanao Region (NDF-NCMR) to implement the 10-day suspension of military operations (SOMO) in about 74 villages in Bukidnon to ensure the safe release of Police Officer 2 Anthony Natividad.

The SOMO, the NDF-NCMR said in a statement, was supposed to begin March 27.

Calang said their dialogue with the military was in response to the letter from the NDF asking the third-party facilitators to reach out to the military in hopes that the armed forces will order the SOMO in some parts of Talakag, Lantapan, Baungon, Pangantucan, Kalilangan and the cities of Malaybalay and Valencia.

In response, Captain Joe Patrick Martinez, 4ID spokesperson, sent this reporter a text message from Madrigal on Tuesday evening on the general’s stand on NDF-NCMR’s proposal.

“We are happy that the church and other third party facilitators are helping us to address this kidnapping incident. However, how can the government suspend its operations when the NPA keeps on doing their atrocities in the area,” Madrigal said in the text message.

“Our primary concern is the welfare of our constituents who clamor for more military and police presence in the area to prevent this NPA terror group to create havoc in their communities,” he said.

Besides, Madrigal said, the NPA chose the date of release for them to highlight their 48 years of banditry. The NPA is set to celebrate its 48th founding anniversary Wednesday, March 29.

“They (NPA) don’t need to ask for any suspension when they can just leave their captive PNP (Natividad) anywhere, anytime. They just have to notify everyone especially the media on where they left him so that the authority and his family can pick him up there,” he added.

In spite of that, Calang said the NDF-NCMR had made it known that it will release Natividad before or during the start of the fourth round of the formal peace talks between NDF and government negotiators in The Netherlands on April 2-6.

Meanwhile, 4ID spokesperson Captain Joe Patrick Martinez said the NPA should also commit in putting a stop to the atrocities they have been causing in the communities where they are present, before asking law enforcement agencies to suspend its operations.

“How can the government suspend its operations when the NPA keeps on doing their atrocities in the area?” 4ID spokesperson Captain Joe Patrick Martinez said, reacting to the NPA’s request to suspend military and police operations to ensure safe release of captive police officer Anthony Natividad.

The NPA earlier demanded a suspension of military and police operations in the 15 villages of Talakag town, 14 villages of Lantapan, 10 villages of Baungon, 10 villages of Malaybalay City particularly in the areas near Mt. Kitanglad, 10 villages of Pangantucan, 5 villages in Kalilangan, and 10 villages in Valencia City, near Mt. Katalungan, from March 27 to April 6.

Martinez said the military force cannot just immediately suspend the government operations, adding that the welfare of the people is their primary concern.

He said the ‘constituents themselves are the ones requesting for additional military and police presence in their respective areas to prevent the NPA terror group from entering their communities’.

Should the suspension be approved, he said the rebels will be using this as an opportunity to highlight their anniversary.