Negros rebel priest surfaces after 30 years

Rebel leader Frank Fernandez (sitting) surfaces to hold a press conference somewhere in southern Negros Occidental. It was his first public appearance after 30 years. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

BACOLOD CITY—A priest turned communist rebel leader in Negros Occidental, long rumored to be ailing and later dead, surfaced at a clandestine press conference in the southern part of the province on Thursday looking well and fit.

It was the first public appearance of Frank Fernandez, who had become spokesman of the National Democratic Front (NDF) in Negros Occidental, who was tagged by the military as the most wanted rebel leader in Negros with a P7.8 million bounty on his head.

Present in the news conference were his wife, Cleofe Lagtapon and Juanito Magbanua, another leader of the New People’s Army.

He was asked a wide range of questions from his rating of President Duterte, the peace talks and his health condition during the press conference that lasted almost an hour.

Fernandez gave Mr. Duterte a rating of 5 for his performance in the last six months because of his anti-US statements and his program to get rid of contractualization.

But he added many things have yet to be done.

Fernandez said he is not in favor of carrying out the war on drugs through extrajudicial killings because only the poor are being subjected to antidrug raids and operations.

Fernandez said he is also not in favor of restoring the death penalty since major reforms have yet to be implemented in the country’s justice system.

“Duterte considers the United States as his number one enemy but being anti-US is not enough since many Filipinos are still working and staying in the US,” said Fernandez.

“He should also end the capitalist system which is evil itself,” the former priest said.

He also challenged Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Marañon, 81, to a marathon in the mountains going to the guerrillas’ camp.

This was in response to an offer made by Marañon in 2014 to provide medical assistance to Fernandez, who was then rumored to be terminally ill.

Fernandez, who was also tagged by the military as the secretary of the communist rebel body Komiteng Rehiyonal-Negros, said rebel enemies may think that if he died, the rebel movement would be weakened.

But he stressed that his death would not weaken the underground movement.

Fernandez said illnesses occur as one ages, but what he had were minor diseases that could be managed by rebel medical staffers.