Court orders alleged leftist leader’s arrest for missing hearing

After the recent apprehension of National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) officials Adelberto Silva and Vicente Ladlad on charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives, another leftist leader has been ordered arrested after he failed to attend a court hearing.

In an order dated Nov. 21, Judge Thelma Bunyi-Medina of the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 32 granted the prosecution’s motion for the issuance of an arrest warrant for alleged Communist Party of the Philippines central committee member Randall Echanis.

Although Medina has yet to issue the warrant as of Tuesday afternoon, her staff said it would be out soon.

The Nov. 21 hearing was part of the ongoing murder trial against Echanis and other communist leaders accused of involvement in the killing of 15 civilians in Inopacan, Leyte, in 2006.

Required appearance

Echanis was required to appear in court to allow prosecution witness Rufino Wilhig to identify whether or not he was among those who met with fellow accused Satur Ocampo at Kampo Pinya in 1985.

A certain “Ka Basyo” allegedly ordered the New People’s Army fighters in that meeting to kill all those who were against the communist movement, an order which Ocampo supposedly agreed with.

Rachel Pastores, Echanis’ legal counsel, said that he missed the trial over “security concerns.”

Echanis, Silva, Ladlad, Benito Tiamzon and Rafael Baylosis were previously granted provisional liberty by the judge to allow them to attend the fifth round of talks supposedly scheduled in July.

But the Norway-mediated talks to end the insurgency problem have since been scuttled as President Rodrigo Duterte pressed anew for localized negotiations. As a result, the Department of Justice has moved for the revocation of their provisional liberty and their arrest.

Alleged ouster plot

Silva and Ladlad were caught separately by the police in Sta. Cruz, Laguna, and Novaliches, Quezon City, at the height of reports over the alleged “Red October” plot to oust the President.

Just like Baylosis, who was also arrested on Jan. 30, they were allegedly caught carrying guns and explosives.