PRWC » Condemn the arrest of NDFP peace consultant Simeon “Ka Filiw” Naogsan


The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) condemns in the strongest terms the US-Marcos regime and its fascist agents for the arrest and detention of Simeon “Ka Filiw” Naogsan, spokesperson of the Cordillera People’s Democratic Front and a publicly known consultant of National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) in peace negotiations.

Ka Filiw was reportedly arrested at 5 a.m. today in Ilocos Norte and brought to the Baccara Municipal Police Station. In violation of his legal rights, he was taken from the municipal jail by military agents and brought to an undisclosed location, where he could possibly undergo torture.

We demand that Ka Filiw’s rights be respected and that he be immediately released. He must be afforded his right to independent counsel, as well as to a doctor of his choice. Ka Filiw is 72 years old and suffers from acute diabetes, hypertension and osteoarthritis. He is on furlough to seek medical attention.

The arrest of Ka Filiw is a brazen violation of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) between the NDFP and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP), which protects peace consultants and personnel from acts of reprisal by either side.

The arrest of Ka Filiw follows the arrest earlier this month of another NDFP peace consultant Porferio Tuna in Tagum City, Davao del Norte. These arrests do not help build confidence in peace negotiations and cast serious doubts on the intentions of the Philippine government regarding peace negotiations with the NDFP.

In arresting Ka Filiw, the Marcos regime aims to punish him for serving the broad masses of workers, peasants, minority people and other oppressed classes and sectors especially in the Ilocos-Cordillera region.

As spokesperson of the CPDF, Ka Filiw has actively pushed for genuine autonomy and self-determination of the peoples of Cordillera, whose rights continue to be wantonly violated. He stands opposed to the Marcos regime for serving as protector of foreign and local big business interests, especially mining companies and infrastructure companies, that are plundering the mountains and rivers of the Cordilleras.



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