Army joins hunt for 2 NDF consultants in NorthMin

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The Philippine Army’s 4th Infantry Division (4ID) has joined the Philippine National Police (PNP) in locating two National Democratic Front (NDF) peace consultants from Northern Mindanao following the order of President Duterte to arrest them after the collapse of the peace negotiations between the government and communist rebels early this week.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Jesus Dureza has notified on Tuesday the NDF through Jose Marie Sison, chief political consultant, and Fidel Agcaoili, panel chairperson, that the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees has been terminated by the government.

The JASIG provides safe passage for consultants from both sides so they could join the negotiations.

Capt. Joe Patrick Martinez, spokesperson of the 4ID, said the military is in coordination with the police in searching for NDF consultants Alfredo “Ka Paris” Mapano and Pedro “Gonyong” Codaste.

Mapano used to be detained at the Misamis Oriental provincial jail while Codaste was incarcerated at the Gingoog city jail.

Mapano and Codaste attended the rounds of formal peace talks in Oslo, Norway last year and in Rome, Italy last month.

Both consultants were released on bail for 1100,000 each last year a few days before the first round of the negotiations began in Oslo last August.

Once arrested or should they decide to surrender, Martinez said Mapano and Codaste will be brought back to their respective detention facilities.

Martinez said operatives are now looking for the two consultants, but declined to divulge any specific details.

Active defense In Davao City, the NDF insisted that the death of three personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) at the hands of the New People’s Army (NPA) were part of its “active defense” and was therefore “legitimate.”

Ka Allan Juanito, spokesperson of NPA – North Central Mindanao Regional Command (NCMR), said that the Feb. 1 incident on the killing of Corporal Pat O. Non, Corporal Nino Christopher Talabor and Sergeant Owen Yee of the 8th IB was a result of a prolonged operation against the psychological war operations of the three in Brgy. Kibalabag and Manalog, Malaybalay City.

Ka Allan claimed that the three were not unarmed and had been conducting reconnaissance operations against the rebels despite the ongoing peace talks between the government and the NDFP/Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) in Oslo, Norway and Rome, Italy.

“The allegation that the three were arrested and killed after was therefore not true. That they were unarmed was also not true. As a matter of fact, three .45 pistols were seized from them,” the statement said.

“They are Armscor issues with serial numbers 2052053, bb01224 and 1435922.”

The NDFP also denied that the NPA took away the subsistence allowance of the soldiers.