DAVAO CITY – Communist rebels have freed two jail guards they took as prisoners of war in the southern Philippines following appeals made by their families and humanitarian groups.
The duo – Juan Salazar and Feliciano Polan – were released on Thursday by the New People’s Army on a hinterland village in Surigao del Sur’s San Miguel town. They were held captive since April 27 after rebels ambushed their vehicle to free a prisoner, Jojean Alameda, who was falsely accused by the military as a member of the communist group.
The military’s Eastern Mindanao Command insisted that Alameda is a rebel, who is a bomb expert.
The prisoners were handed over to church and political leaders led by Bishop Nerio Odchimar and Surigao del Sur Governor Johnny Pimentel.
The NPA also mocked the military for its failure to rescue the prisoners despite its pronouncements that rebel forces are now dwindling in the restive region due to the continued anti-insurgency operations.
Last December, rebels also seized Compostela Valley provincial jail warden Jose Mervin Coquilla and investigated him for alleged corruption and human rights abuses. He was also freed on January 19 due to humanitarian reason.
Government peace talks with the NPA – which has been fighting for decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country – collapsed in 2004 after rebels accused then President Gloria Arroyo of reneging on several agreements, among them the release of all political prisoners and the removal of the terrorist tag on the Communist Party of the Philippines and its political wing, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, and the NPA.
Manila also suspended the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees after the peace talks failed. (Mindanao Examiner)
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