BY RAYMUND ANTONIO
Peasant groups reported Thursday the arrest of an Anakpawis member accused of having ties with the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army in San Jose, Tarlac.
According to the Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luzon-Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (AMGL-KMP), combined forces of police and military swooped into the home of Anakpawis member Danilo Tabuno in Purok Masunurin, Barangay Sula in San Jose town on October 23.
Law enforcers raided the house of Tabuno based on a search warrant issued by Regional Trial Court Branch 68 Judge Francis William Espinola.
KMP chairperson Danilo Ramos said the Anakpawis is among the partylist groups being red-tagged by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ECLAC).
“Red-tagging results in illegal and unjust arrest and detention of activists,” Ramos said.
The group cited the information sheet released by the police and the Provincial Prosecutor’s office, where it was said that several M16 bullets, a .45-caliber pistol and silencer, and alleged extortion letters from the communist rebels were recovered from Tabuno’s home.
Tabuno is now free after posting bail of P100,000.
KMP condemned the joint operation as it claimed the gun and ammunitions were planted evidence and his arrest was based on trumped-up charges.
The AMGL also noted that this is merely
a harassment against activists in the region to force them to “surrender” or cooperate with authorities.
“With red-tagging as pretext, the police and military can fabricate evidence out of thin air and unjustly charge criminal cases against an activist or just anyone,” Ramos said.
Days after Tabuno’s arrest, Gabriela Cordillera council member Beatrice Belen and five members of an association of farmers in Binalbagan, Negros Occidental also suffered the same fate. (Raymund Antonio)
