A group calls on the goverment to resume peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.
Rights group Karapatan on Tuesday challenged the Aquino administration to withdraw its "reward system-bounty list" on alleged communist rebels.
Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay said the Departments of National Defense and Interior and Local Government's bounty list weighs heavier than its joint agreement with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) on safety and immunity guarantees (JASIG) and the Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law.
"The GPH (Government of the Philippines) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) would gladly violate JASIG and arrest NDFP peace consultants, earn from the reward money than push forward the long-stalled peace talks with the NDFP.
"We challenge the DILG Secretary, whether its Mar Roxas or his replacement, to withdraw the Order on Reward System targeting so-called communists but has proven to have victimized innocent civilians," Palabay added.
Palabay was reacting to the recent arrest of peace consultant Maria Concepcion Araneta-Bocala, whom the government accused of being a communist leader.
She cited that with the arrest of NDFP peace consultants, the government already bagged at least P55 million in bounty.
"These funds would have been more useful when channeled to social services since these are taxpayers' money. The reward system further breeds corruption in the bureaucracy," Palabay said.
On August 1, Araneta-Bocala, or Concha, with P7.8 million bounty on her head, was arrested by joint forces of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Region 6 and the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines at a house in Juntado Subdivision, Molo, Iloilo City.
Karapatan insisted that Araneta-Bocala is peace consultant of the NDFP for the Visayas region.
Based on Araneta-Bocala's Document of Identification, her assumed name is "Remi Estrella," the group added.
Under the JASIG, persons with document of identification should be immune from arrests and detention in order to perform their duties as peace consultants.
Palabay said that the reward system has been amended in 2012 in recognition of the peace negotiations with the NDFP.
However, despite the amendment which effectively deletes the names of JASIG-covered personalities, Palabay noted that some of the NDFP peace consultants have been arrested and detained by authorities.
"We reiterate our call to immediately release the NDFP peace consultants and resume the peace talks. We also call on the GPH to stop spending huge amount of people’s money in self-serving and unproductive activities," she said.
http://www.philstar.com/nation/2015/08/04/1484457/withdraw-reward-list-vs-ndf-consultants-govt-urged
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