Surrender or spend the rest of your lives “hiding like rats.”
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Eduardo Año issued this warning on Wednesday to National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) consultants, who had reportedly gone in hiding after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered their arrests.
“I’ve reports that most of these people are now going into hiding but do they really want to spend the rest of their lives hiding like rats?” Año told reporters at the Senate when told that communist leaders Wilma and Benito Tiamzon were already in hiding.
“It’s their choice if they want to go in hiding again but the long arm of the law will always catch up to them,” he said.
Año said they would follow the President’s order to arrest the NDFP personalities, who were in jail but given temporary pass to participate in the peace talks with the government n.
This, despite the NDFP’s claim that all of its 17 consultants are protected from rearrest because they are covered by the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG).
“That’s their opinion but the order of the President is very clear. He has already terminated the peace negotiation and as far as we are concerned, we know the people who are covered by JASIG,” the military chief said.
Año said those covered by JASIG are those who are in jail and invited to participate in peace talks and those who are jailed and given temporarily bail.
READ: Duterte orders arrest of NDFP negotiators
But since the peace talks between the government and the reds had already collapsed, he said, the temporarily bail given to the jailed rebels would be considered invalid and cancelled.
“So the order is for us to arrest these NDF personalities,” Año said. CDG
READ: NDFP to acknowledge JASIG termination; says all-out war not new
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