The 4th Pulang Bagani Command (PBC) of the Merardo Arce Command (MAC) of the New People’s Army (NPA) has undertaken the safe and orderly release of prisoner of war (POW) Cpl. Dominador Alegre of the 72nd Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army-Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). This is in compliance with the release order of the MAC-Southern Mindanao regional operations command of the NPA.
As the unit of the people’s army who captured and exercised custodial authority over POW Cpl. Alegre, the 4th PBC strictly observed the NPA policy of humane and lenient treatment of prisoners of war. And by successfully undertaking the release in the midst of AFP rescue attempts, the revolutionary movement again showed why AFP military operations start in a blunder and end as a failure in the face of a determined people’s army cherished by the masses in the ever-expanding and deepening guerilla areas.
Time and again, the worn-out AFP black propaganda lies about “hostage-taking” and “kidnapping” crumble under the sheer weight of the foregoing truths which even their very own can attest:
1. That the rights of POWs are respected in accordance with the NPA’s three rules and eight points of attention and in observance of international humanitarian law;
2. That there is an ocean of difference between the NPA’s policy of humane and lenient treatment of POWs and the AFP’s policy of torture, planting of evidence, enforced disappearance and summary killings not only of captured NPA combatants but even against mass activists, plain civilians and non-combatants;
3. That the revolutionary forces give due recognition to humanitarian calls for the release of its POWs and as such, exercises its own political authority by suspending the ongoing investigation for possible violation/s of human rights and international humanitarian law that may have been committed by the POW in the course of his participation in the counter-revolutionary war to give way to the release;
4. That while the AFP — as a matter of policy — endangers the security of their very own personnel captured as POW and arrogantly ignores the calls by POWs families and humanitarian groups by launching rescue operations; the NPA gives the highest importance to the safety of the POW and those parties that help in the humanitarian effort to secure his release.
We wish Cpl. Alegre well in his reunion with his beloved family. We call on his superiors in the 10th ID-AFP to be brave enough to assume command responsibility for the continuing military losses incurred from sustained NPA tactical offensives and not cowardly place the blame on lowly enlisted personnel like Cpl. Alegre for the political and military failure that is Gloria Arroyo’s and the AFP’s Oplan Bantay Laya II.
For reference:
Ka Nadem
4th Pulang Bagani Company
Merardo Arce Command
Southern Mindanao Regional Operations Command
New People’s Army
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