NDF consultant, NPA liason officer arrested in Davao

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

A consultant of the National Democratic Front (NDF) who was temporarily released in August last year to take part in the peace talks was arrested by authorities on Monday morning in Davao City.

Ariel Arbitrario, alias Marlon, was apprehended by combined police and military personnel at a Task Force Davao checkpoint in Sirawan, Toril, Davao City, at about 9 a.m., a military report sent to the INQUIRER.net said.

Roderick Mamuyac, alias Caloy, reportedly a regional liaison officer of the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee of the New People’s Army, was arrested along with Arbitrario.

The arrests come a day after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the arrest and detention of the consultants of the NDF, following his termination of the peace negotiations between the government and communist rebels.

Before he was released last year, Arbitrario was in detention for murder charges. He was arrested in February 2016.

Captain Rhyan Batchar, spokesperson of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division, confirmed the report.

He said that Arbitrario was in police custody and would be turned over to Nabunturan police in Compostela Valley.

Batchar said the arrest was based on the President’s orders to apprehend the NDF consultants who were temporarily released last year.

He said Arbitrario was released only on bail and only for a six-month period that had already lapsed.

“Binigyan lang kasi sila ng six months. So yun kailangan i-arrest ulit,” Batchar said.

(He was only given six months. So he needs to be arrested again.)

The NDF earlier said that all of its 17 consultants released last August were protected from rearrest in accordance to the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guidance (JASIG). JE

RELATED VIDEO