Govt. won’t budge over arrest of another CPP leader

THE government, this time, won’t be intimidated into prematurely releasing a lady medical doctor who have been identified as another member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), in charge of the terrorist movement’s ‘National Health Bureau’ and regional chair of ‘Karapatan,’ a CPP front group in the Caraga region (Region 13).

Dr. Natividad Castro, who, the government said, is also known as ‘Yammy,’ ‘Ami’ and ‘Dok’ inside the CPP, was arrested last February 18, 2022 at their residence in San Juan City by the police on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by the Regional Trial Court in Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur.

The CPP, where Castro belongs, and its other creations, the New People’s Army (NPA) and the National Democratic Front (NDF) have all been officially designated as ‘terrorist organizations’ here and abroad.

Castro was the subject of a complaint for kidnapping, serious illegal detention and grave threat filed by a member of the CAFGU Active Auxiliary (CAFGU/CAA), who had identified her as among her abductors and who personally threatened him during his captivity sometime in 2018.

She was immediately transported the next day to Caraga for presentation to the court that issued the warrant and is presently detained at the police station in Bayugan City.

Castro is the second member of the CPP’s central committee to be arrested by government security forces after the arrest, two days previously, February 16, 2022, of Esteban Manuel in Villareal, Samar.

Like Castro, Manuel, who is also known in the CPP as ‘Pilo’ and ‘Kim,’  also has several warrants of arrest from the local courts in the Ilocos region.

“Our troops responded to an information on the presence of armed individuals in the hinter areas of Villareal, Samar.

“During the operation, our soldiers chanced upon a small group of suspicious individuals who were concealing a sub-machine gun.

“Upon initial investigation, the accosted individuals admitted to being members of the New People’s Army (NPA) and that they are supposed to fetch a ranking CPP leader,” said Capt. Ryan Layug, spokesperson of the 8^th Infantry Division.

On learning this, Layug said the troops immediately launched a follow-up operation that led to the arrest of Manuel and his companion, Fredie Bolito, who is also a ranking local NPA member.

The shadow of ‘Morong 43’

The arrest of Castro immediately triggered a coordinated response for her release from known CPP front groups, sympathizers and other legitimate organizations gullible enough to believe she is not a ranking CPP terrorist leader.

Among the noisy groups calling for her immediate release– in the process disrespecting the rule of law– include, Karapatan, Bayan Muna, National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL), Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) and even the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).

It can be recalled that the tactic proved to be a success in the case of the so-called ‘Morong 43,’ a large group of NPA and CPP members, who were all arrested while conducting a so-called ‘First Responder’s Training’ in Morong, Rizal province, on February 6, 2010. Among those arrested was Dr. Alex Montes and his son, Conner.

The incident was used by the CPP to wage a highly visible international campaign against the Philippine government that was capped by their release, on order of then Pres. Noynoy Aquino, in December of the same year.

Their main argument, however, does not center on the criminal charges against Castro and her affiliation with the CPP but, on her past accomplishments as a bright student, as a member of the medical profession and on her reputation as ‘human rights defender’ and ‘doctor’ for the indigenous people (IP) of Mindanao.

These CPP partisans have also managed to convince St. Scholastica College and the UP College of Medicine where Castro graduated, to issue statements condemning her arrest while calling for her immediate release.

It can be recalled that the tactic proved to be a success in the case of the so-called ‘Morong 43,’ a large group of NPA and CPP members, who were all arrested while conducting a so-called ‘First Responder’s Training’ in Morong, Rizal province, on February 6, 2010. Among those arrested was Dr. Alex Montes and his son, Conner.

The incident was used by the CPP to wage a highly visible international campaign against the Philippine government that was capped by their release, on order of then Pres. Noynoy Aquino, in December of the same year.

Incidentally, the fiction that the Morong 43 were just ‘innocent health workers’ illegally arrested by state security forces was proven true after 5 of those arrested seceded from the group and confessed to being members of the terrorist organization.

Separately, others freed by Aquino ended up dead during skirmishes between the Philippine Army and the NPA just months after their release.

Aware of what happened previously, the government thru the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) remain firm in its position not to be swayed by CPP propaganda and appeal to emotion by other groups in order to free Castro without the benefit of due process.

“The basis of the arrest of Dr. Castro is a legitimate judicially issued court warrant based on criminal charges against her. That is the real issue at hand,” stressed NTF-ELCAC spokesperson, Lorraine Marie T. Badoy.

“It makes no difference if she graduated top of her class in St. Scholastica’s College or the UP PGH. Nor does it matter which awards she won.

“A medical license and an exemplary academic record do not grant anyone immunity from the law. Nor does it make heroes out of scoundrels.

“Nor does it make anyone immune from the bad sense of being given so much by way of academic opportunities then choose instead to be a deceitful tormentor and oppressor of your countrymen. A terrorist,” Badoy added further,

Prosecutor Flosemer Gonzales, task force spokesperson for Region 6, for his part, took a swipe at the CHR for its “haphazard conclusion” of facts related to Castro.

“The CHR press statement includes a haphazard conclusion of fact that ‘Dra. Naty had been red tagged’… and used the term ‘Lumad,’ which is a term that was coined not by the indigenous peoples themselves but by the CPP-NPA-NDF to collectively refer to members of the indigenous people’s tribes in Mindanao.

“We are asking that the CHR to conduct itself properly and impartially in this case. Their statement clearly shows bias and lack of prudence,” Gonzales said.

Gonzales also chided the religious groups who also issued statements of support to Castro, reminding them that they are “not the court” and their bias is also an “injustice” to the victim that filed the complaints against the terrorist leader.

Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) secretary, Eduardo M. Año, for his part, defended the Philippine National Police for implementing the arrest warrant issued by the court.

“The PNP was just doing their jobs. Why gang up on them? This was not a warrantless arrest. The RTC issued a warrant and it’s their duty to serve it,” Año said in a statement on February 21, 2022.

“The basis of Castro’s arrest by the PNP is a judicially issued warrant based on the criminal charges against her,” the DILG chief added.

Año also lashed at FLAG and the NUPL and other lawyers who claimed Castro’s rights were violated with impunity and that the charges against her were baseless.

“FLAG, the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) and other lawyers of Castro had every opportunity to quash the charges against her at the level of the City Prosecutor during the preliminary investigation and even with the court,” he said.

“We wish to emphasize that the prosecutor found probable cause against her and resolved to file criminal charges with the RTC. The Presiding Judge also judicially determined that there was probable cause which is why he issued a warrant of arrest so that she can face the charges against her in court,” he said.

“They could have challenged the prosecutor’s findings and appealed it with the Department of Justice. Or if they wanted to challenge the warrant, they could have brought it to the Court of Appeals or even the Supreme Court.

“They just needed to be diligent and do their jobs instead of maligning the PNP, the judicial system and making a media circus out of this issue,” he said.