DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 1, 2014) – Communist rebels on Saturday abducted a man whose wife they had previously seized filed criminal charges against them in the southern Philippines, the military said.
Officials said Jerry Mataas, an automotive mechanic working for Santa Maria Bus Company in Compostela Valley province, was taken by New People’s Army rebels from his house in the village of Teresa in Maco town.
The victim’s wife, Janice, was abducted by rebels on December 27 and rescued a month later by troops from the 71st Infantry Battalion in Maco town. The woman filed charges against the NPA just recently, according to the military.
“The abduction of Mr. Mataas is believed to be an act of threat and intimidation of the NPAs to terrorize the Mataas family and the rest of the community after the wife has filed charges of Serious Illegal Detentionon January 29, 2014 against the New People’s Army,” it said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
The military also said that the town’s vice mayor Voltaire Rimando has appealed to the rebels to free the woman and to put a stop to the kidnapping of innocent civilians.
“The local government of Maco would like to appeal to these NPAs to stop kidnapping innocent civilians and release their kidnap victims immediately. Based from the information we have received, they belong to the indigenous people of the community. The New People’s Army must respect and spare these civilians who want to live peacefully,” the same statement quoted the politician as saying.
“Prior to these recent untoward incidents, Barangay Teresa and Masara are known to be one of the peaceful Barangays of Maco. If ever there will be a continuous threat and armed conflict in that area, the economy will be greatly affected especially that 70% of the local income of our municipality is coming from APEX Mining Company. It makes the operation of APEX Mining Company as the heart of our town. Therefore, we have to make the place peaceful and safe without any threat and intimidations from the New People’s Army,” it further said.
Colonel Angelito de Leon, commander of the 1001st Infantry Brigade, has condemned the woman’s abduction and accused the rebel group of human rights violation.
“I strongly condemn the NPAs’ abduction of the Mataas couple which is a gross violation of their Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law. “I am also appealing to the members of the populace to continue to unite and stand up against the NPA who continue to cause disorder in far flung communities,” De Leon said in the statement, adding they will file a complaint with the Commission on Human Rights.
He said troops were deployed to track down the rebels and rescue the hostage.
The NPA has been fighting for decades now for the establishment of a separate Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
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