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AUTHORITIES over the weekend claimed that two of the 13 activists and Iglesia Filipina Independiente members arrested in General Santos City last week had warrants for various criminal cases and that 11 of them were collared for protecting the fugitives.

Supt. Aldrin Gonzales, police spokesman for Region 12, said two of the 13 were actually fugitives Francis Madria and Maria Limbaga Unabia, alleged members of the New People’s Army in northern Mindanao.

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The group Barug Mindanao said authorities alleged that two of those arrested, Delia Catubay and Emilio Gabales, were actually Unabia and Madria.

Gonzales said the two who were “positive subjects of the arrest warrants” were among those taken by authorities and the rest were arrested for allegedly “trying to conceal” the identities of the fugitives and for showing resistance. They were charged with violation of Presidential Decree 1829 or “obstruction of justice.”

Authorities said agents of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Region 12, the Army-led Joint Task Force Gensan and the city police, had arrest warrants for Madria and Unabia who have standing arrest warrants for murder, attempted murder, frustrated murder and kidnapping with murder issued by Judge Isobel Baroso of the 8th branch of the Regional Trial Court in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon, Judge Vincent Rosales of the 23rd branch of the RTC  in Cagayan de Oro City.

The 13 human rights workers and leaders of progressive groups at the the Mother Francisca Sprituality Center along Arradaza Street in Barangay Lagao, General Santos City, where the suspected rebels were said to be holding a program consultation.

The 11 others who were arrested were Teresita Naul of Opol, Misamis Oriental; Aldeem Yanez of Cagayan de Oro City; Vennel Chenfoo of Cagayan de Oro City; Jomorito Guaynon of Bukidnon; Analiza Avenido of Bukidnon; Roger Plana of Balingasag, Misamis Oriental; Kristine Cabardo of Cagayan de Oro City; Virgilio Sanama of Purok 4, Rajah Muda, Barangay Bula, this city; Byron Gabales Porras of Zone 2-C, Barangay Bula, this city; Ireneo Udarbe of Misamis Oriental; and Rosemarie Cantano of Glan, Sarangani.

Ryan Amper, spokesperson of Barug Mindanao, said the 13 individuals were attending a program consultation for volunteers and partners of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente Visayas-Mindanao Regional Office for Development (IFI-Vimrod) when they were arrested.

The retreat facility belongs to the congregation of the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena.

Among those arrested were local leaders of cause-oriented groups Kalumbay, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, Kabataan partylist, League of Filipino Students and Karapatan, he said.

“They were there to assess the status of a project of Vimrod and discuss various issues and concerns affecting farmers and the lumads (indigenous peoples),” he said.

During the raid, Amper said, the operating team claimed that two of the participants were NPA members and with the 11 others supposedly “obstructing” their arrest.

But he said two of those arrested were guards while another was a volunteer worker of the retreat center.

Amper said those arrested did not show any resistance but only questioned the legal basis of the operation.

He said they questioned the arrest warrants showed by operatives were “defective” as they were allegedly not signed by the judges.

The names that appeared in the warrants were different from the two who were tagged as alleged NPA members, he said.

The two suspects were reportedly named B

Delia Catubay and Emilio Gabales.

“They have different names. None among the participants were named Francis Madria and Maria Unabia,” he said.

After the arrest, Amper said the 13 were initially brought to the city police headquarters at Camp Fermin Lira here.

On Thursday afternoon, 11 of them were subjected to inquest proceedings for charges of obstruction of justice at the city prosecutor’s office after waiving their privilege to preliminary investigation to facilitate their petition for granting of bail.

Their cases are being handled by lawyers Emilio Paña of the National Union of People’s Lawyers and Bayan Muna partylist Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate.

They were separately detained on Thursday at the Pendatun or city police station number 01 and the San Isidro or city police station number 04.

“We’re still waiting for the decision of the prosecutor. But we’re facing a major obstacle right now as as the usual bail recommended for it is P36,000,” Amper said.

Zarate condemned the arrest of the church workers and activists, noting it as a clear violation of human rights and in the guise of the continuing martial law in Mindanao.

He specifically cited the supposed ban on visitors, including family members, for the 13 detainees imposed by their police custodians.

Zarate and Paña were eventually allowed to visit them after “pleading that the law affords them visitation rights and be assisted by a lawyer.”

“The serving of the warrants was actually questionable, as far as their statements are concerned, as they lacked pertinent signatures,” he said.

He added that although Mindanao is currently under martial law, the Constitution provides that the rights of the people “should not be set aside or ignored.” (mindanews)

 

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