Two Quezon City arrestees have gone missing, rights groups reported
National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace consultant for the Cordillera Kennedy Bangibang had been arrested, an Indigenous People’s group announced.
The Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas (Katribu) in an urgent alert on Friday said Bangibang was arrested in Tarlac City and is currently detained in Tabuk City, Kalinga.
Katribu’s alert followed an earlier announcement by the Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA) that 10 persons were arrested by the 5th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army in Tarlac and Quezon City last Wednesday.
The military unit in a press conference on Thursday confirmed the arrests.
Katribu said that based on reports it received, Bangibang and six others arrested in Tarlac were subjected to physical and verbal abuse by their arresting officers.
“They were struck at the back of their heads, beaten in the face and stomach, and forced to lie on the ground during the operation,” Katribu said.
Bangibang participated in several formal rounds of peace negotiations between the NDFP and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) in Europe between 2016 and 2017.
He is a member of the Taluktok Tribe of Tanudan, Kalinga. He is 63 years old.
In its earlier alert, the CHRA said a certain Jess Gamay and a companion were arrested in Quezon City in Quezon City and have gone missing.
No further details are available on the third Quezon City arrestee.
Another JASIG violation
Katribu said Bangibang is covered by the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees between the GRP and the NDFP and should not have been arrested.
The group also said the arrestees are unarmed civilians and non-combatants and must be accorded their rights under International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL).
“This is especially urgent as March 16 marks the anniversary of the signing of CARHRIHL, a landmark agreement meant to uphold the human rights of civilians and non-combatants amid the armed conflict,” Katribu said.
Katribu said it calls for the immediate release of Bangibang and others arrested and the surfacing of Gamay and his companion. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)