No SOMO violation – military

From the Visayan Daily Star (Dec 29): No SOMO violation – military

The Army's 302 nd Infantry Brigade yesterday maintained that there was no violation of the suspension of military operations or SOMO, in the recent arrest of an alleged top leader of the New People's Army in Manjuyod, Negros Oriental. Col. Francisco Patrimonio, 302 nd Infantry Brigade commander, said, “What was conducted was purely police operations”, referring to the serving of arrest warrants to Felimon Mendrez, who is facing rebellion and robbery-in-band charges, at his residence in Brgy. Tubod, Manjuyod. Mendrez, who has the aliases of “Tatay” and “Edon”, was tagged by the military as commander of the Regional Strike Force- Komiteng Rehiyonal Negros. He was also alleged to have served as deputy secretary of the Central Visayas Regional Party Committee.

In a statement it issued, the Communist Party of the Philippines, slammed the government and the military for the arrest of Mendrez, that, it claimed violated the ceasefire covering the period from Dec. 20 to Jan. 15 next year, that was agreed by the National Democratic Front-Philippines and the government, contained in joint communiqué, and authenticated by Ambassador Ture Lundh, special envoy of the Royal Norwegian Government to the NDFP-GPH peace negotiations. The CPP said that, despite its own ceasefire declaration, the Armed Forces of the Philippines continues to carry out counter-guerilla operations under the guise of peace and order preparations.

Patrimonio said the observance of SOMO does not mean suspension also of the enforcement of laws. “ Law enforcers are mandated to enforce the law,otherwise, they will be remiss their duties,” he added. Nobody is above the law, even during the ceasefire, he added. Patrimonio also said there is no problem for them if rebels, who have no pending arrest warrants, take advantage of the yuletide truce and spend the time with their families.

The CPP demanded that the government immediately order an extension of its ceasefire declaration to reciprocate the SOMO issued by CPP Central Committee. The SOMO being observed by the AFP is from Dec. 16 to Jan. 2 next year. If President Aquino does not issue a corresponding ceasefire declaration soon, the CPP and the NDFP will have to consider the option of cutting short its unilateral ceasefire order, the CPP statement added.

Patrimonio, who supervises the internal security operations in Negros Oriental and Central Negros, said “We are not going out there looking for the people who have pending arrest warrants,” because of the ceasefire. In fact, he added, “We received reports on the presence of NPA members in several areas, who had been celebrating the CPP anniversary. But we never touched them,” Patrimonio said. Lt.Col. Efren Morados, 62 nd Infantry Battalion commander, said they have also monitored that the NPA took advantage of the yuletide truce, by conducting training of their members in some areas of northern Negros.

Mendrez, who ranks number six among the most-wanted persons in the country, has a bounty of P5.25 million for his arrest, as stipulated in a Department of Interior and Local Government memorandum circular. Being commander of the KR-Negros Regional Strike Force, Mendrez allegedly led various violent NPA actions in Negros island and in other areas of Central Visayas, of which the most significant was the raid on the Polopangyan detachment in Brgy. Bug-ang. Toboso, on Aug. 28, 2010.  The rebel attackers, disguising themselves as members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, seized 23 high-powered firearms after killing the detachment commander, SSgt. Efraim Bagonoc, in front of his horrified daughter and government militiamen, military records show. Before withdrawing, the rebels also burned the detachment.

http://www.visayandailystar.com/2012/December/29/topstory9.htm