DAVAO CITY – At least two police officers who had been captured by communist rebels will be released anytime soon, the National Democratic Front in Southern Mindanao said.
Rubi del Mundo, NDF spokesperson in the region, said the NDF has already ordered the New People’s Army in Compostela Valley to release Chief Insp. Arnold Ongachen and Police Officer 1 Michael Grande as “goodwill for the peace talks.”
“The People’s Democratic Government’s judicial proceedings and investigations into POW Ongachen and POW Grande’s possible war crimes and violation of people’s rights have been effectively suspended in deference to appeals of their families and peace advocates. POW Ongachen and POW Grande have apologized for their violations against the people,” Del Mundo said in a statement issued on Friday.
Ongachen was the chief of the Gov. Generoso police in Davao Oriental who was taken captive on May 29. He was accused of involvement in the illegal drug trade in his town.
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Grande, on the other hand, was abducted by communist rebels in Lupon, Davao Oriental on June 19.
Del Mundo said in releasing the two police officers, the NDF “acknowledges GPH Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s efforts that resulted in the ongoing process of release of the 22 NDFP peace consultants.”
“This is definitely a positive development in the long-sought justice for these political prisoners and a welcome deviation from the previous reactionary regimes’ militarist approach and despicable contravention of the Comprehensive Agreement for Respect of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) and the Joint Agreement for Security and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG),” Del Mundo added.
The NDF spokesperson said they were also awaiting the release of the more than 500 other political prisoners, now held in various prisons across the country. CDG/rga
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