Nabbed NPA leader accuses military, cops of making money out of his arrest

From the Daily Tribune (Jun 19): Nabbed NPA leader accuses military, cops of making money out of his arrest

A captured communist leader is refuting military tag that he is the current highest-ranking commander of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) in the country, accusing police and military of trying to make money out of his arrest.

Adelberto Silva, in a statement released through Karapatan, claimed that he is a consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) in its peace negotiations with the government of the Philippines since 1987.

“I am a consultant of the NDFP in its peace negotiations with the Philippine government. I helped prepare the labor and economic agenda in the 1987 peace negotiation and in the current peace talks between the GRP and NDFP,” Silva stated.

“I am committed to the struggle for a just and lasting peace, pave a path by which our country can lift itself out of the quagmire of crisis, poverty, mendicancy and corruption we currently find ourselves in,” he added.

Silva was captured by combined police and military operatives in Bacoor, Cavite last June 1, along with his wife Rosanna Cabusao and Isidro de Lima.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) tagged Silva as the secretary general of the CPP-Central Committee and the current highest-ranking....

Silva belied the AFP tag and accused the AFP and the Philippine National Police (PNP) of trying to make money out of his arrest.

“I surmised that I was made to appear as the new secretary general of CPP so that the AFP and PNP could collect higher monetary reward or bounty for my arrest and for psywar operations,” said Silva.

“I categorically deny any involvement in the trumped-up multiple charges against me. All accusations hurled against me, my wife Rosanna Cabusao and my companion Isidro de Lima, are false, malicious and baseless,” he added.

Silva, 67, claimed he is a holder of Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (Jasig) documentation of identification with the assumed named “Percival Rojo” and with Document of Identification number ND 978229. Silva is described as a trade union organizer since the Martial Law period while Cabusao is a researcher/consultant of the Crispin B. Beltran Resource Center and a founding member of Gabriela.

Cristina Palabay, secretary general of Karapatan, said that Silva’s arrest and continued detention is another proof of the Aquino government’s disregard to previous agreements between the NDFP and government peace panels.

“The GRP and the AFP have consistently disregarded and violated the GRP-NDFP Jasig. Wala namang kinilala o in-acknowledge na peace consultant ang mga yan,” Palabay said.

http://www.tribune.net.ph/nation/nabbed-npa-leader-accuses-military-cops-of-making-money-out-of-his-arrest