BUTUAN CITY, Philippines – Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas missed an opportunity to see the real situation in remote villages when he did not personally pick up four police officers released by the New People’s Army in Surigao del Norte, Vice President Jejomar Binay said over the weekend.
Binay – who distributed land titles to 52 beneficiaries here last Friday – said he would not do what Roxas did. He said Roxas merely waited for the police officers in Kitcharao town last July 29, instead of going to Barangay Hinimbangan to get them.
A certain Ka Jared, the leader of the NPA guerrillas who released the police officers, said Roxas missed the chance to see the real situation of the residents, particularly the bad roads and the lack of healthcare, classrooms, and livelihood opportunities.
“Secretary Roxas was expected to be in Barangay Hinimbangan for the turnover of POWs (prisoners of war) but he’s nowhere to be found. We learned he was just waiting at Kitcharao Central Elementary School. If only he was here, he could have seen personally for himself the situation of the people here,” Ka Jared said.
Barangay Hinimbangan is only seven kilometers away from Kitcharao Central Elementary School where Philippine National Police chief Director General Alan Purisima, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, presidential peace adviser Teresita Deles and other officials waited for the police officers.
Police officials said Roxas and other top government officials opted to wait at Kitcharao Central Elementary School for security reasons.
Roxas told journalists it was too risky to meet the rebels in the area and no policeman or soldier was allowed to escort the negotiators who took custody of the policemen from the rebels.