It pays to spy on Reds as 5 tipsters get P14.2M in reward from AFP

MANILA, Philippines—The military on Friday (Aug. 16) showed it pays to be a spy, at least for five people who received P14.2 million in cash for tipping off the armed forces on whereabouts and backgrounds of key communist guerrilla leaders leading to their capture or killing.

Armed Forces Chief Benjamin Madrigal Jr. personally gave the cash rewards to the five who had given the military information that led to the capture or killing of what the military said were key guerrilla leaders.

They wore mask to hide their identities.

One of the five received P5 million in cash for providing information that led to the killing of Victoria Tesorio, a communist guerrilla leader charged with several crimes including multiple murder and frustrated murder.

Another tipster received P4.8 million for contributing information that led to the arrest of what the military said was a high-value rebel target, Promencio Abaya Cortez, who had been charged with multiple murder, double frustrated murder, rebellion and attempted murder. Cortez was also allegedly involved in the burning of two dump trucks belonging to Philex Mines Corp. at the village of Ampucao in Itogon town, Benguet province on Feb. 9, 2017.

One informant received P2.2 million for giving details about Deomedes Apinado, a guerrilla leader who was wanted for four counts of murder. Apinada, 73rd in the military’s most wanted list, was killed in a clash with soldiers in April 2017.

Another tipster received P1.7 million for the arrest of communist leader Mauricio Sagun and another was awarded P550,000 for Jaime Soledad, another guerrilla leader.

Sagun had been charged with murder while Soledad was charged with 15 counts of murder. They were both on the military’s most wanted list.

“The AFP is grateful for all the informants,” Madrigal said. He added that the civilian spies’ help ‘became vital in the neutralization of these criminals who were responsible for heinous and atrocious crimes against our people and nation.”

Talks have collapsed between the Duterte administration and communist leaders after the rebels failed to heed a demand made by President Rodrigo Duterte, who had developed close relationship with communist guerrillas when he was still Davao City mayor, for rebels to stand down, stay in their camps and cease collecting so-called revolutionary taxes.

The talks were on an advanced stage already when Duterte decided to cancel them, revealing that among the rebel demands was power-sharing which Duterte said he was not constitutionally allowed to grant.

Duterte has since changed his tack against the rebels, ordering localized peace talks and attacks on supposedly communist front organizations that have led to the killing of dozens of activist leaders and noncombatant militant group members./tsb