AN ALLEGED high-ranking official of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) was arrested for not wearing a face mask in Cadiz City.
The suspect was identified as Gaspar Davao alias Aldong, 55, a resident of Sitio Biernesan, Barangay Pinapugasan, Escalante City.
Davao was apprehended by elements of Cadiz City Philippine National Police (PNP) led by Acting Chief of Police Lieutenant Colonel Robert Mansueto and military's 79th Infantry while authorities were conducting contact tracing activities and other preventive measures against Covid-19 at Monitoring Control Point in Barangay Caduha-an, Cadiz City at 7:30 pm of June 9.
Mansueto said they intercepted a public utility van with the suspect on board.
The suspect was arrested for violating the city ordinance on wearing of face mask but he reportedly arrogantly disobeyed the arresting officers, which prompted the PNP personnel to subdue him when he was to draw one fragmentation grenade from his sling bag.
Recovered from his possession and control were a fragmentation grenade, subversive documents, cash amounting to P10,000, eight different units of cellular phone, different handwritten letters, a newsletter of Roselyn Jean Pelle Command, receipts and other confidential records.
Upon verification from Armed Forces of the Philippines counterpart, Mansueto said the suspect was identified as the secretary of Northern Negros Front (NNF) White Area Secretary, NNF SECOM TABACCO Secretary and Finance Officer.
It can be recalled that "Aldong" is the subject of the Search Warrant number No. 5951 for Violation of RA 10591, dated October 31, 2019, issued by Executive Judge Cecilyn Burgos-Villavert of RTC Branch 89 Quezon City. However, the suspect was able to escape during the implementation of the said warrant.
Colonel Inocencio Pasaporte, 303rd Infantry Brigade Commander, lauded the efforts of the troops 79IB and Cadiz City Police Station that resulted in the apprehension of Aldong during the joint AFP-PNP checkpoint operations in the area.
"The AFP-PNP will continue to intensify its efforts to hunt down members of Communist NPA terrorists in Negros to preempt their terroristic and extortions activities. Once again, we encourage our fellow Negrenses to cooperate with us through our Whole of Nation Approach in Ending the Local Communist Armed Conflict in the province", Pasaporte added.
Meanwhile, New People’s Army - Regional Operational Command (Apolinario Gatmaitan Command) - Negros Island vehemently condemns the recent incarceration of Gaspar "Aldong" Davao, a member of the National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFWS).
“Davao is not a member of the NPA. The AFP’s bold claims that he is a high-ranking official of the NPA is yet again another one of their classic lies, red-tagging legal organizers, imprisoning them through trumped-up cases and planted evidence,” Juanito Magbanua, AGC-NPA spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday.
"Davao was held in a checkpoint last night while in a passenger van, at first allegedly because of not wearing a face mask, and later on according to Mansueto’s claims was visibly carrying a hand-held grenade. NFSW and Bayan offices in Bacolod have noticed surveillance operations around their legal office days before the incident," the NPA spokesman claimed.
“These pointless claims against Davao are identical to the several arrests of legal activists and human rights defenders in Negros and the whole country. The AFP-PNP’s arguments have been recycled over and over to threaten critics. This is an obvious pretext of the Anti-Terror Bill once signed into law. It will justify and worsen the already dire human rights situation in the island and the country through baseless red-tagging, illegal arrests, militarization and extrajudicial killings”, Magbanua added.
Magbanua said that the AFP-PNP should use their funds and troops to aid in facing the socio-economic crisis that has worsened in the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Instead, they have hardheadedly continued their fascist acts, including this recent human rights violation. Davao should immediately be released. Otherwise, Mansueto, Palgue, Pasaporte and the AFP-PNP have added more crimes against the people, and they will surely pay for such brutality" Magbanua said.