THE human-rights group Karapatan has demanded the release of 13 people, including an alleged consultant of the National Democratic Front (NDF), who were arrested by the military and the police in Quezon and Caloocan cities.
“We demand the immediate release of 13 people, including an accredited NDF peace consultant, as their arrest and continuing detention since March 4 is illegal and smacks of foul play and dirty tricks,” Karapatan Secretary-General Cristina Palabay said.
National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and Armed Forces agents simultaneously raided three houses in Quezon City and Caloocan City on March 4, and arrested alleged NDF peace consultant Ruben Saluta, who showed his Document of Identification ND978240 under the assumed name of Lirio Magtibay to justify his immunity from arrest based on the provisions of the Joint Agreement on Security and Immunity Guarantees (Jasig.)
Arrested with him was his wife, Presentacion Saluta, whom he was visiting at the time of the raid.
Also arrested were four others—Alexander Raymund Birondo and his wife Winona Oñate-Birondo, Ruben Rupido and Joseph Cuevas.
Cuevas was renting out the rooms in his house where the alleged communist guerrillas were arrested.
Those arrested in two other houses in Caloocan City were Osias Abad, Emmanuel Bacarra, Rosalia Reboltar-Bacarra, Roy Baldostamo, Manolito Estrella, Emmanuel Villamor and Monette Alcantara.
The raiding team had a search warrant issued by Branch 78 of the Regional Court in Quezon City in the operation that resulted in the arrest of the 13.
The 13 are now detained at the CIDG’s Major Crimes Investigation Unit and the Anti-Organized Crime Unit in Camp General Rafael Crame in Quezon City.