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Group decries arrest of 13 people, including peace consultant

March 30, 2015 | 12:34am

MANILA, Philippines - Rights group Karapatan on Monday demanded the release of 13 people, including an accredited peace consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), who were allegedly illegally arrested by authorities last March 4 in Quezon City and Caloocan City.

Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay claimed that police and military operatives planted evidence on the suspects during the simultaneous raids on three houses in Quezon City and Caloocan.

Palabay said that among those arrested was Ruben Saluta, NDFP peace consultant, who invoked his JASIG (Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees) document under the assumed name of Lirio Magtibay.

Operatives also arrested Saluta's wife, Presentacion, whom he was visiting that time.

Also arrested were four other civilians - Alexander Raymund Birondo and his wife Winona Oñate-Birondo, Ruben Rupido and Joseph Cuevas.

Palabay said that Cuevas subleased the room in the house to save on costs and help defray the rent.

Arrested in two other houses in Caloocan City were Osias Abad, Emmanuel Bacarra, Rosalia Reboltar-Bacarra, Roy Baldostamo, Manolito Estrella, Emmanuel Villamor, and Monette Alcantara, who had no common link except of being independent sublessors and sublessees of each other.

"When they did not find any of those fictitious items listed on the warrant, the members of the raiding team 'planted' guns and explosives and labeled them 'evidence.' All three houses were searched and the raiding teams hauled their belongings," Palabay said.

She said that authorities also 'invited', a euphemism for arrest, the 13 persons of the three houses. To justify the baseless and bungled operation, the police later filed false charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives against the suspects, including Saluta.

"It was the testimony, a ridiculous tall story, of a certain Roger Reyes Rodriguez that supposedly linked together the three separate households," Palabay added.

Rodriguez claimed he met Saluta in Antique province through his uncle. Saluta supposedly recruited him as gun for hire in Manila.

"Rodriquez went to Manila, contacted Saluta who gave him a gun he didn’t like. Saluta brought him to the house where the Bacarras were staying and offered him another gun, which Rodriguez again refused. Saluta then brought him to the third house where Osias Abad resided and offered another gun that Rodriguez finally liked," Palabay said, citing Rodriguez's sworn affidavit.

The document became the basis of the search warrants issued for the Quezon City and Caloocan houses.

Karapatan said these incidents show the continuing violation of the JASIG, with the arrest of another NDFP peace consultant, and the rampant practice of illegal arrest and detention, and illegal search and seizure by state security forces.