NPA asks for SOMO to facilitate release of abducted cops in Surigao

PLACER, Surigao del Norte — New People’s Army (NPA) rebels who have abducted two policemen in this province have asked government for a suspension of military and police operations (SOMO) in at least six towns to facilitate the safe release of their so-called “prisoners of war.”

The custodial force of the NPA’s Guerrilla-Front Committee 16,

through its spokesman “Ka Oto,” said on Friday that it had no more reason to detain Police Officers 2 John Doverte and Alfredo Degamon.

“We received the result and found out that the two had no direct involvement in the crimes like extrajudicial killing, drug trafficking and extortion activities raised against Placer police and we see no reason to keep them as prisoners of war,” Ka Oto said in the vernacular in an interview with a local radio station.

What the NPA wants now is a 10-day SOMO so they can work on the safe release of the two members of the Placer Municipal Police Station.

The call for a SOMO was already conveyed to military field commanders last Thursday by the third-party facilitator/negotiator who had started negotiations with the NPA for the release of PO2 Doverte and PO2 Degamon.

“This will also endanger the abducted policemen if they (military, police) continue their operations,” Bishop Maximo Rhee Timbang of the third party facilitator said.

Aside from the appeal of the negotiators assigned by the crisis management committees (CMC) of Surigao del Norte and Placer, led by Governor Sol F. Matugas and Mayor Michael Jose Patiño, parents of the two police officers requested government security forces to halt their offensives to allow the release of the hostages.

The relatives and friends of the two abducted policemen also requested the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) commanders to pull-out their troops in said areas to avert any untoward incident between the negotiators and all parties concerned.

Since the two were abducted from the police box stationed on the national highway in Barangay Bad-as, Placer town, Surigao del Norte, last November 13, they have been treated well by the NPA, Ka Oto assured.

“We assured the parents and their relatives that they are both safe and in good health,” he said.

Ka Oto said they would release the two abducted policemen on condition that the army and police would order their forces to stand down in some villages in the towns of Alegria, Tubod, Placer, Bacuag, Gigaquit and Claver, all in Surigao del Norte.

However, the military and police commanders in northeastern Mindanao maintained yesterday that their operations against the NPA – declared recently by President Duterte as terrorists – “will continue without let up.”

“Our operations against the communist terrorists is ongoing without let up, even before the abduction of these two policemen and we cannot stop our operations unless ordered us by our higher authorities,” said Brig. Gen. Franco Nemesio M. Gacal, commanding general of the Army’s 402nd Infantry “Stingers” Bridge (402nd IB) who has jurisdiction over areas of Surigao del Norte, Agusan del Norte and Dinagat Islands provinces.