Kabataan Party-list denounces arrest of NDF consultant

The Kabataan Party-list has vehemently condemned the re-arrest of Rafael Baylosis, one of the consultants of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), in Quezon City on Wednesday night.

“The re-arrest of Rafael Baylosis and the impending arrest of the other NDFP consultants, as directed by the president himself, is all part of Duterte’s grand crackdown and all-out war against the Filipinos,” Kabataan Party-list Rep. Sarah Elago said in a statement on Thursday.

“Duterte’s insincerity is manifest in his fickle-mindedness in pursuing the peace talks,” she added.

Baylosis and his companion, Jun, were arrested by members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-National Capital Region (CIDG-NCR) along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City, according to human rights group Karapatan.

They are currently detained at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Headquarters or Camp Crame also in Quezon City.

Baylosis is the first NDFP consultant to be re-arrested after President Rodrigo Duterte terminated peace talks with the left late last year.

“Similar to other NDFP consultants, a pile of trumped-up charges were filed against him. He was allowed to post a P150,000 bail so he could attend the peace talks,” Elago said.

Elago slammed Duterte, who has now “turned into a complete fascist dictator.”

“Delicadeza, other than logic, is wanting in this administration. The Duterte administration is irredeemable — it has fully embraced and succumbed to the corrupt system that has pervaded the country, rooted in its semi-feudal and semi-colonial character. It has completely turned its back from its campaign promises. We expect nothing less from a leader who is all too eager to mimic his tyrannical idols,” she said.

The Makabayan partylist then demanded for the release of Baylosis and denounced any scheme of the government to re-arrest all other NDFP consultants.

“We call on everyone, especially the youth, to march to Camp Crame today, at 10 am, to call for the release of Rafael Baylosis. We call on everyone to join the upcoming mobilizations against tyranny and dictatorship,” Elago said.  /kga