AFP's Central Command denies holding Tiamzon couple's gardener captive

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 15): AFP's Central Command denies holding Tiamzon couple's gardener captive

The Cebu City-based Central Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines on Tuesday denied claims made by supporters of the Tiamzon couple that they are illegally detaining a gardener working for the Tiamzons.

“Being the protector of the Filipino people, the AFP and the PNP (Philippine National Police) uphold human rights and strictly adhere to International Humanitarian Law (IHL)," Central Command head Major Gen. John S. Bonafos said.

He issued this statement in reaction to militant group Karapatan’s accusation that a certain Gary Aguilar Santos is being held captive by the AFP and PNP troops since the arrest of the Tiamzons last March 22 in Barangay Zaragosa, Aloguinsan, Cebu.

“We cannot confirm nor deny that there really is a Mr. Gary Aguilar Santos because he was not with the Tiamzons during the actual arrest and neither was he there at the safe house during the raid. What Karapatan is accusing us is completely false and baseless.

It is worthy to note that in late 2010, all AFP units were ordered to set up a human rights office to ensure better adherence to respect of human rights among the members of our organization. Since then, we have been religiously upholding, protecting and promoting human rights and adherence to IHL,” he added.

In a separate interview, Navy Lt. Jim Aris V. Alagao, Central Command spokesperson, said that militant groups are looking at the wrong target when it comes to perpetrators of serious illegal detention and other human rights abuses.

"If there is a group notorious for torture and extra-judicial killings (and other human rights abuses), it is the New People's Army which is led by the Tiamzon couple who at the moment is facing multiple charges of murder, frustrated murder and multiple murder," Alagao said in Filipino.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=635516