Note: This is the second video of Police Chief Inspector Arnold Ongachen that was released by the New People’s Army. The first video was released on June 14, 2016.
DAVAO CITY— The National Police here accused the New People’s Army (NPA) of violating the right of its captive, Police Chief Inspector Arnold Ongachen, when he allegedly delivered his message under duress.
Senior Inspector Manuel Gaerlan, chief of PRO XI said that he pitied the situation of Chief Inspector Ongachen during his delivery of his message in a 3:46-minute video released by the NPAs on Monday, August 1.
Gaerlan said that based on the video, the NPA violated the right of the Chief of Police from Governor Generoso town in Davao Oriental.
“Parang binabasa niya [It looks like he was just reading] under duress, so this is a violation of a person’s right
to force him to do something he is not willing to do,” Gaerlan said.
“The NPA said they got illegal drugs from his possession, and now they are saying that he has been treated well?,”he said.
Gaerlan said that the video of chief inspector Ongachen is “just a propaganda of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA).
“We condemn the strongest terms the use of a police officer for their propaganda activities,” he said.
Gaerlan also said that as of this time, there no reports on individuals who were captured by NPA due to illegal drugs, which based from the statement of chief inspector Ongachen, that the rebels were trying to rehabilitate them from drug addiction.
“Look at what they are doing to my police officer, he is being forced to say something that he doesn’t want to say. The CPP-NPA they should lift up the level of their struggle and their ideology,” he said.
As of now, Gaerlan said that they are consolidating the whereabouts of Ongachen, but they are having a hard time because of the inconsistency of the exact place.
Ongachen was captured by the NPA guerrillas last May 29 following their raid at the Governor Generoso Police Station.
Ongachen appealed to government military to pull out its forward troops to give way to the resumption of the peace negotiations with the Communist-led insurgency.
In the video, he asked the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to stop their military operation and continue the peace talks between the government and the CPP-NPA.
Gaerlan said that until now, there is still an on-going rescue operation for Ongachen. (davaotoday.com)
