In a statement released last week, Fidel Agcaoili, spokesperson of the negotiating panel of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), identified the purported POW as 1st Lt. Vicente Cammayo or the army’s 3rd special forces battalion and SPO3 Eduardo Tumol of the Davao Oriental provincial police mobile group.
“During the recent informal talks in Oslo, the Negotiating Panel of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) did not make any formal request to the Negotiating Panel of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines for the release of the prisoners of war under the custody of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Mindanao,” Agcaoili said.
He said that earlier the NPA’s Merardo Arce Command had advised the government to make such a formal request, but he noted that instead of doing so, the government instead pursued rescue operations for the captives.
“Lt. Cammayo and SPO3 Tumol are subject to investigation and detention for possible violation of human rights and international humanitarian law. If they are tried and found guilty for grave criminal offences, they might be speedily meted out the appropriate punishment decided by court martial, especially because of the ongoing military operations to ‘rescue’ them,” the statement said.
But it also noted that if the two are acquitted, “they cannot be released because there is no agreement for their safe and orderly release between the GRP and NDFP”.
“To carry out safe and orderly release, it is necessary for the GRP and NDFP sides to undertake mutual ceasefire through the so-called suspension of military operations (SOMO) and suspension of police operations (SOPO) on the GRP and the specific ceasefire declaration of the NDFP,” Agcaoili said.
He also urged the “families of the prisoners of war should press on the GRP side for the SOMO and SOPO according to the specifications of the NPA command concerned through the NDFP Negotiating Panel.”
Agcaoili recalled that during the administration of former Pres. Ramos, the former president had made such formal requests for the freedom of soldiers under NPA captivity. He criticized the Arroyo government for allegedly lacking enough concern over the welfare of the soldiers and cops being held by the NPA.
