Special Forces Commander Held As Prisoner Of War Is Released By Rebels In Mindanao

Philippine communist rebels free First Lieutenant Vicente Cammayo, of the Special Forces, on January 6, 2008 after more than two months in captivity. (AKP Images / Ruby Thursday More)

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 6, 2008) - Communist rebels released Tuesday a Special Forces commander held as prisoner of war after two months in captivity in the southern Philippines.

Rigoberto Sanchez, a spokesman for the New People's Army, said Cammayo’s release was a gesture of goodwill. The officer was freed near the town of Laac in Compostela Valley province.

“This is a gesture of goodwill on the part of the Communist Party of the Philippines on the occasion of its 40th anniversary. It further manifests the good faith of the NPA to its earlier statement in relation to the said POW's release on the first week of the New Year,” he said.

The rebels earlier suspended the release of Cammayo after government forces launched an offensive in the province on January 1.

“Were it not for the 10th Infantry Division-AFP's arrogance and callous disregard for the well-being and safety of the POWs, 1st Lt. Cammayo would have been reunited with his wife and family much earlier. As it was, the Armed Forces of the Philippines made sure that multi-sectoral initiatives for a negotiated release and cessation of military operations remain unheeded despite appeals from the POWs' wives, GRP local political leaders and church people,” Sanchez said.

Cammayo was captured Nov. 7 after rebel forces attacked his unit and killed two soldiers and a government militia in a fierce firefight in Casoon village in the town of Monkayo in Compostela Valley province.

The NPA originally ordered the release of Cammayo on December 28.

Sanchez said the army officer was not harmed during his captivity despite government offensives against the NPA.

“All his rights were respected as guaranteed under the International Humanitarian Law, the GRP-NDFP Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law and the NPA's Rules of Discipline. The NPA policy of humane and lenient treatment of POWs was practiced,” he said.

Sanchez accused the military of human rights violations in Compostela valley during its two-month rescue operations to free Cammayo. He said many civilians were also displaced by the military offensives.

The military said the release of Cammayo was a concerted efforts of the local government officials, family of the freed officer, and the security forces in Compostela Valley.

“There is no reason for anybody to be grateful to the NPA for the release of Ly. Cammayo. The release of Lt. Cammayo is not an act of goodwill. Being a clear criminal act, those who are behind the abduction must be held responsible under a legitimate justice system and we shall continue our vigorous military operation to pursue the abductors.”

“We maintain that the military was not involved in any negotiations, but rather an intensified rescue operation mission has been mapped out upon his abduction. The abduction of Lt. Cammayo serves as a reminder that these communist-terrorists will not spare anyone from the perils of their treacherous attacks. We appeal to the public to remain calm at all times,” said Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres, a military spokesman.

The rebels last month freed a captured policeman Eduardo Tumol, who was also seized Nov. 5 at a checkpoint in the village of Baogo in Davao Oriental's Caraga town.

Sanchez previously said that both Tumol and Cammayo were investigated for possible human rights violations and other crimes related to the operations of the Special Forces and the Provincial Mobile Group in Mindanao.

Aris Francisco, spokesman of the NPA's Alejandro Lanaja Command, accused the 3rd Special Forces Battalion to which Cammayo's unit belongs, as responsible for the series of violations to human rights, protocols of war and international humanitarian law in Compostela Valley province.

The NPA, armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines, is fighting the government the past four decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. Peace talks between Manila and the CPP-NPA collapsed in 2004 after both sides failed to sign an agreement ending hostilities in the countryside. (Mindanao Examiner)

Failed Release Of POW Worries Interfaith Groups

DAVAO CITY, Philippines - The Interfaith Movement for Peace (IMPACT) expresses concern over delay of Lt. Vicente Cammayo's safe release; points to fresh military operations hampering POW's freedom.

Is the Arroyo government interested in the safe and expeditious release of NPA's Prisoner of War Lt. Vicente Cammayo? We at the IMPACT pose this question in response to the reported military operations in Laac town, Compostela Valley and the areas under the Special Forces Battalion. The fresh onslaught of military operations in these areas have apparently encumbered the impending release of the Lt. Cammayo which has been reportedly scheduled first week this month.

We are saddened that the militarization has been inimical to the whole release process of Lt. Cammayo. As reported, to effect Cammayo's safe release and turn-over to the authorities, there is a need for a Suspension of Military Operations or SOMO within the area of jurisdiction of the Army's 3rd Special Forces. The least that the Armed Forces of the Philippines can do is to observe this especially if we are to prevent a shooting war between their troops and the NPA in these areas.

Yet, we are dismayed that the AFP cannot exercise even such a minimum cooperation needed for Lt. Cammayo's release. The military's top brass seems to be unconcerned or unperturbed that their troop movement in the areas could affect Lt. Cammayo's safe release. They appear to be uncaring that the delays of Lt. Cammayo's release has increased the anxiety of his family, especially his pregnant wife. They appear to be insensitive that their non-implementation of the SOMO in the specific areas risk more lives and cause more anguish on the civilians in the affected villages.

While the responsibility of Lt. Cammayo's life and safety lies on his NPA custodians, the sole responsibility of Lt. Cammayo's expeditious and safe release lies ultimately on the AFP and the civilian authorities. But with their envigorated counter-insurgency operations in the areas reportedly since January 1 this year, the AFP, it seems, is out to frustrate or sabotage or hamper Lt. Cammayo's freedom.

We urge the civilian authorities, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, Gov. Arthur Uy and other public officials to exert all effort for the Army to implement the SOMO and stop moves that would preclude Lt. Cammayo's release. The AFP should step aside now if we are to finally see a positive resolution of this case.

Bp. Delfin Callao
Philippine Independent Church
Convenor

NPA rebels postpone release of captured Special Forces commander in Mindanao

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 3, 2008) – Communist rebels postponed the release of Special Forces commander being held as prisoner of war after government troops launched fresh offensive in Mindanao.

Rigoberto Sanchez, a spokesman for the New People’s Army, blamed the military offensive for the failed release of First Lieutenant Vicente Cammayo.

Cammayo was captured Nov. 7 after rebel forces attacked his unit and killed two soldiers and a government militia in a fierce firefight in Casoon village in the town of Monkayo in Compostela Valley province.

“The volatile ground situation due to the ongoing AFP troop deployment and current offensive military operations has made the safe and orderly release of POW 1Lt. Vicente P. Cammayo not feasible,” he said.

He said troops, from the Army’s 10th Infantry Division, resumed offensive operations since Thursday in Compostela Valley.

“Due to this ground situation, the scheduled release of POW Cammayo on the first week of January is hereby affected. POW Cammayo's release will be reset until such time that all offensive military operations are ceased,” Sanchez said.

The NPA last week said it would free Cammayo as a gesture of goodwill. It ordered the release of the prisoner on Dec. 28. “The continuing AFP offensive operation is a big impediment to the safe and orderly procedure of POW Cammayo's release and eventual reunion with his family,” he said.

The rebels last month freed a captured policeman Eduardo Tumol, who was also seized Nov. 5 at a checkpoint in the village of Baogo in Davao Oriental's Caraga town.

Sanchez earlier said that the NPA could suspend the release of Cammayo, commander of the 11th Company of the Army's 3rd Special Forces, if military forces continue its operations that would endanger the safety of the prisoner.

"The implementation of the order of release shall be based on the NPA custodial unit's assessment of the ground situation particularly the movement of AFP troops. The NPA custodial unit has the authority to suspend the release of POW Cammayo if enemy movement continues since the safety of the said prisoner of war and the receiving party is of utmost importance," he said.

Sanchez previously said that both Tumol and Cammayo were investigated for possible human rights violations and other crimes related to the operations of the Special Forces and the Provincial Mobile Group in Mindanao.

Aris Francisco, spokesman of the NPA's Alejandro Lanaja Command, accused the 3rd Special Forces Battalion to which Cammayo's unit belongs, as responsible for the series of violations to human rights, protocols of war and international humanitarian law in Compostela Valley province.

The NPA, armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines, is fighting the government the past four decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. Peace talks between Manila and the CPP-NPA collapsed in 2004 after both sides failed to sign an agreement ending hostilities in the countryside. (Mindanao Examiner)

NPA rebels free captured army commander

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 28, 2008) – Communist rebels on Sunday said they would free a Filipino army commander held captive since last month in the southern Philippines.

The New People’s Army said it decided to free First Lieutenant Vicente Cammayo as an act of goodwill.

Cammayo was captured Nov. 7 after rebel forces attacked his unit and killed two soldiers and a government militia in a fierce firefight in Casoon village in the town of Monkayo in Compostela Valley province.

The rebels also seized an M60 machine gun and two M16 and one M14 automatic rifles from Cammayo's unit during the fighting.

The rebels earlier freed a captured policeman Eduardo Tumol, who was also seized Nov. 5 at a checkpoint in the village of Baogo in Davao Oriental's Caraga town.

“POW Cammayo's release is an act of goodwill on account of the continuing celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Communist Party of the Philippines. The decision is also anchored on humanitarian grounds,” Rigoberto Sanchez, a rebel spokesman, said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

The rebels celebrated its anniversary on Friday.

Sanchez said Cammayo, commander of the 11th Company of the Army’s 3rd Special Forces, would be released next week. But he warned that the NPA could suspend the release of Cammayo if military forces continue its operations that would endanger the safety of the prisoner.

“The implementation of the order of release shall be based on the NPA custodial unit's assessment of the ground situation particularly the movement of AFP troops. The NPA custodial unit has the authority to suspend the release of POW Cammayo if enemy movement continues since the safety of the said prisoner of war and the receiving party is of utmost importance,” he said.

Sanchez previously said that both Tumol and Cammayo were investigated for possible human rights violations and other crimes related to the operations of the Special Forces and the Provincial Mobile Group in Mindanao.

Aris Francisco, spokesman of the NPA's Alejandro Lanaja Command, accused the 3rd Special Forces Battalion to which Cammayo's unit belongs, as responsible for the series of violations to human rights, protocols of war and international humanitarian law in Compostela Valley province.

He accused the Special Forces of masterminding the June bombing in Nabunturan town that wounded several innocent civilians. The NPA also tagged Special Forces members as behind the brutal murder in June of a peasant leader Noli Llanos in Nabunturan's Mipangi village, where rebels killed three government soldiers; and also the killing of farmer Diego Encarnacion in the village of Linda in Nabunturan town in July. Both farmers were accused by the military as NPA supporters.

The military denied all accusations and branded them as propaganda.

The NPA, armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines, is fighting the government the past four decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. Peace talks between Manila and the CPP-NPA collapsed in 2004 after both sides failed to sign an agreement ending hostilities in the countryside. (Mindanao Examiner)

Communist rebels release captured police officer in southern Philippines

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 24, 2008) – Philippine communist rebels freed Wednesday a policeman they captured in Mindanao, but are still holding an army officer prisoner in the troubled region.

Rigoberto Sanchez, a spokesman for the New People's Army rebels, said Eduardo Tumol was released as an act of goodwill.

“New People's Army Prisoner of War PO3 Eduardo C. Tumol, Badge No. 078679, was released today as an act of goodwill as the whole revolutionary movement celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Communist Party of the Philippines,” he said.

He said Tumol was accorded humane and lenient treatment befitting his status as prisoner of war in accordance with international war protocols, the Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law and the NPA's Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points of Attention.

Sanchez did not give details of Tumol’s release. Tumol, a member of the 1105th Provincial Mobile Group, was arrested on November 5 by the NPA at a checkpoint in the village of Baogo in Davao Oriental's Caraga town. His commander, Chief Inspector Angel Sumagaysay, and another policeman were able to escape from the rebels.

The NPA is still holding First Lieutenant Vicente Cammayo since November 7 after rebel forces attacked his unit and killed two soldiers and a government militia in a fierce firefight in Casoon village in the town of Monkayo in Compostela Valley province.

The rebels also seized an M60 machine gun and two M16 and one M14 automatic rifles from Cammayo's unit during the fighting.

It was unknown when Cammayo would be freed, but Sanchez previously said that both prisoners were being investigated for possible human rights violations and other crimes related to the operations of the Special Forces and the Provincial Mobile Group in Mindanao.

Aris Francisco, spokesman of the NPA's Alejandro Lanaja Command, accused the 3rd Special Forces Battalion to which Cammayo's unit belongs, as responsible for the series of violations to human rights, protocols of war and international humanitarian law in Compostela Valley province.

He accused the Special Forces of masterminding the June bombing in Nabunturan town that wounded several innocent civilians. "The bombing was a desperate and fascist attack in response to the sparrow operations of the NPA which killed two of their soldiers at that time," he said.

The NPA also tagged Special Forces members as behind the brutal murder in June of a peasant leader Noli Llanos in Nabunturan's Mipangi village, where rebels killed three government soldiers; and also the killing of farmer Diego Encarnacion in the village of Linda in Nabunturan town in July. Both farmers were accused by the military as NPA supporters.

The military denied all accusations and branded them as propaganda.

The NPA, armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines, is fighting the government the past four decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. Peace talks between Manila and the CPP-NPA collapsed in 2004 after both sides failed to sign an agreement ending hostilities in the countryside. (Mindanao Examiner)

NPA rebels to free captured policeman in Mindanao

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 23, 2008) – Philippine communist rebels said they would free a policeman captured in Mindanao, but are still holding an army officer prisoner in the troubled region.

Rigoberto Sanchez, a spokesman for the New People’s Army rebels, said they would soon release Eduardo Tumol as an act of goodwill. He did not say when the actual release would be, but claimed Tumol’s freedom was based on humanitarian grounds and in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Communist Party of the Philippines on Dec. 26.

“The Merardo Arce Command-Southern Mindanao Regional Operations Command of the New People's Army has ordered the unilateral release of NPA prisoner of war PO3 Eduardo C. Tumol (Badge No. 078679).”

”POW Tumol's release is an act of goodwill in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Communist Party of the Philippines. It is also based on humanitarian grounds as well-meaning individuals, personalities and peace advocates clamor for a negotiated and unilateral release,” Sanchez said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

He said Tumol was accorded humane and lenient treatment befitting his status as prisoner of war in accordance with international war protocols, the Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law and the NPA's Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points of Attention.

”The soonest time, the Merardo Arce Command-NPA shall make further announcements related to the actual release of POW Tumol,” Sanchez said.Tumol, a member of the 1105th Provincial Mobile Group, was arrested on November 5 by the NPA at a checkpoint in the village of Baogo in Davao Oriental's Caraga town. His commander, Chief Inspector Angel Sumagaysay, and another policeman were able to escape from the rebels.

The NPA is still holding First Lieutenant Vicente Cammayo since November 7 after rebel forces attacked his unit and killed two soldiers and a government militia in a fierce firefight in Casoon village in the town of Monkayo in Compostela Valley province.

The rebels also seized an M60 machine gun and two M16 and one M14 automatic rifles from Cammayo's unit during the fighting.

It was unknown when Cammayo would be freed, but Sanchez previously said that both prisoners were being investigated for possible human rights violations and other crimes related to the operations of the Special Forces and the Provincial Mobile Group in Mindanao.

Aris Francisco, spokesman of the NPA's Alejandro Lanaja Command, accused the 3rd Special Forces Battalion to which Cammayo's unit belongs, as responsible for the series of violations to human rights, protocols of war and international humanitarian law in Compostela Valley province.

He accused the Special Forces of masterminding the June bombing in Nabunturan town that wounded several innocent civilians. "The bombing was a desperate and fascist attack in response to the sparrow operations of the NPA which killed two of their soldiers at that time," he said.

The NPA also tagged Special Forces members as behind the brutal murder in June of a peasant leader Noli Llanos in Nabunturan's Mipangi village, where rebels killed three government soldiers; and also the killing of farmer Diego Encarnacion in the village of Linda in Nabunturan town in July. Both farmers were accused by the military as NPA supporters.

The military denied all accusations and branded them as propaganda.

The NPA, armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines, is fighting the government the past four decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. Peace talks between Manila and the CPP-NPA collapsed in 2004 after both sides failed to sign an agreement ending hostilities in the countryside. (Mindanao Examiner)

Pursue Peace Talks With Reds, Lawyers' Group Urges Manila

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 17, 2008) - The local chapter of the Union of Peoples' Lawyers in Mindanao called on the Arroyo government to resume peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and to issue immediate suspension of military operations (SOMO) to pave way for the safe release of an army official and a police officer being held captive by the New People's Army rebels.

The NPA is holding First Lieutenant Vicente Cammayo since November 7 after rebel forces attacked his unit and killed two soldiers and a government militia in a fierce firefight in Casoon village in the town of Monkayo in Compostela Valley province.

Aside from Cammayo, the rebels also captured Police Officer 3 Eduardo Tumol, a member of the 1105th Provincial Mobile Group, who was arrested on November 5 by the NPA at a checkpoint in the village of Baogo in Davao Oriental's Caraga town.

The UPLM said the continuing militarist approach of the Arroyo government only hinders the imminent release of the two prisoners of war and reinforces the escalating human rights violations in the Lumad and peasant communities in the southern region.

The group also cited previous statements made by Presidential Secretary Jesus Dureza that the Arroyo government would leave the matter to the military.

"With such, the GRP effectively abandoned the headways and breakthroughs of the peace talks in general. We refer to the previous agreements such as The Hague Joint Agreement, the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG), the Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHIHL)," said UPLM Davao City Chairperson Atty. Eduardo Estores.

"A rational government would hear the plea of the POWs' family. But the Arroyo government seems to play deaf and mute to such appeal. The government must do all it can to uphold at all times the security of the civilian populace and the POWs as guaranteed by the international humanitarian laws," Estores said.

"The GRP has the obligation of ensuring the immediate and safe release of the POWs and the respect of the human rights and the international humanitarian laws," Estores added.

NPA Rebels Write Open Letter To POWs Families

OPEN LETTER TO MRS. MARIEL CAMMAYO AND MRS. MA. LUISA TUMOL

(wives of POW 1st Lt. Vicente P. Cammayo of the Special Forces Battalion-AFP and POW P03 Eduardo Tumol of the Police Mobile Group-PNP)

7 December 2008

Dear Mrs. Cammayo and Mrs. Tumol,

Warm revolutionary greetings.

I understand the anguish that you are now going through. It has never been the practice of the New People's Army to deliberately cause suffering on civilians. To this, we commiserate with you.

The only comfort that I can give you is to reiterate the assurance that we are taking good care of your husbands. We have gone beyond what is required by the Geneva Conventions as lenient treatment for soldiers who surrender and are taken as Prisoners of War. Certainly, the hospitality that we can offer is very basic and unlike the comfort that your husbands have been used to. But they eat more than what we eat. They sleep more comfortably than we do. They have not been subjected to any kind of physical or psychological torture. Most of all, their safety, security and welfare are our primary concern.

Mrs. Cammayo -- we have tried to reinforce this assurance through the video clip we sent through the media to show you that your husband is healthy and unharmed. In your present condition, you are very vulnerable. It would not be good for you to be unduly stressed. Your husband is also very concerned for you. However, he also understands that your first priority right now is to take care of your unborn child.

As your husbands are declared prisoners of war, this will give you comfort that they are treated well, and their rights are protected as POWs under the international humanitarian law (IHL). Thus, I would like to assure you along with the revolutionary forces that there is no cause for alarm.

POW 1Lt. Vicente P. Cammayo, commander of the 11th Company of the 3rd Special Forces Battalion-AFP and POW PO3 Eduardo Cruzada Tumol of the police's 1105th Provincial Mobile Group are currently under investigation for possible violations of human rights and international humanitarian law that they may have committed in the course of implementing the US-Arroyo regime's counter-revolutionary Operation Plan Bantay Laya II.

As your husbands are ranking officers and men, they are directly responsible for orders that have resulted in hurting many innocent civilians in the areas where they have been deployed. The Revolutionary Court conducts investigations as expeditiously as possible. At the same time, we take our investigations seriously and thorough. The results of these investigations will be made public. Upon the capture of your husbands, the legal and judicial process of the revolutionary government has commenced. A couple of weeks will not be enough time to accomplish this, more so under condition of fierce military operations.

Many military officials, especially those who have never experienced and can only speak about the suffering that your husbands have undergone in the battlefield, will try to demean this process. "Kangaroo court" is what they derisively call our Revolutionary Court. But years and years of building the People's Democratic Government and revolutionary justice served and implemented, the people can only turn to the Revolutionary Government as their only true source of justice.

The viciously fascist Arroyo regime that has prized Gen. Jovito Palparan and Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr have victimized millions of peasants, workers, journalists, lawyers, students, human rights activists and church people and NDFP consultants. Even your husbands as well as the AFP foot soldiers have been victims of the regime's callousness, warmongering and injustice.
We do not have a kangaroo court. A kangaroo court is one where justice can be bought to the advantage of the rich while the poor languish in prisons for crimes that they have not committed. I think you are familiar with such courts.

At this point, I ask that you try to recognize the other lies that have been told to you for what they are -- lies. Among the many others, I would like to make a few corrections:
First, the NPA had never denied, right from the start, the captivity of your husband. The military cannot concoct with such a statement purportedly from us because we never said anything like that. We were delayed in making any kind of announcement because foremost in the priorities of the NPA custodial forces was your husbands' security and safety amid the incessant fierce military operations in the countryside.

Secondly, the so-called AFP "rescue" missions that have been dispatched are not for the purpose of getting your husbands safely. The military merely wants to save face after the embarrassing back-to-back defeats that they have suffered in the hands of the people's army. It would not be surprising if they shoot your husbands themselves and put the blame on us. I realize that these may be difficult for you to believe. I'm sure many of your husbands' colleagues have approached you and derided the NPA.

I ask you now to let our records speak for us. The New People's Army has never made it a practice to be deceitful. Even with our mistakes, we have been upfront and forthright, sometimes at great cost to us. Through hard work, painstaking mass work and sincerity, we have gained the trust of the masses. The people's trust is the source of our increasing strength.
Your husbands have been as brave and accepting of their situation as they possibly can, even though they are also very eager to go home. It is my hope that you, being wives of soldiers, can, likewise, be as brave.

For the people,

(SGD) RUBI DEL MUNDO
Spokesperson

National Democratic Front of the Philippines
Southern Mindanao

NPA releases video clip of Special Forces captive in Mindanao

A video grab of New People's Army prisoner of war First Lieutenant Vicente Cammayo, of the Special Forces. Communist rebels release Sunday, November 30, 2008 a video clip of Cammayo, who was captured November 7, 2008 after a firefight in Compostela Valley province in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 30, 2008) – Communist rebels released Sunday a video clip of a Special Forces commander they are holding as a prisoner of war in Mindanao island, south of the Philippines.

The New People’s Army is holding First Lieutenant Vicente Cammayo since November 7 after rebel forces attacked his unit and killed two soldiers and a government militia in a fierce firefight in Casoon village in the town of Monkayo in Compostela Valley province.

The Army’s Eastern Mindanao Command said Cammayo was shot and wounded during the firefight. The rebels also seized an M60 machine gun and two M16 and one M14 automatic rifles from Cammayo's unit during the fighting.

The undated clip emailed to the Mindanao Examiner showed Cammayo already with mustache and bearded, sitting on a hammock surrounded by shrubs. One guard, armed with an automatic rifle, was standing about seven meters away from Cammayo – he was wearing a black t-shirt with inscription ALC, an acronym for an NPA unit called Alejandro Lanaja Command.

“I am First Lieutenant Vicente Cammayo, Philippine Army, team leader na naka-assign sa 10th Special Forces Company, naka-base sa Laak, ComVal province. I was captured in the performance of my duty during the encounter with the New People’s Army under Alejandro Lanaja Command dated 07 November 2008 at Barangay Casoon, ComVal province,” he said in his opening statement.

Cammayo, wearing a red t-shirt over his camouflage uniform, appeared to be nervous and tensed. “Bilang pamamalagi ko dito sa kamay nila bilang bihag o POW, hindi naman nalapastangan ang aking pagkatao at nirespeto ang aking mga karapatan. Ibinigay sa akin ang mga pangunahing kailangan. Maayos ang kanilang trato sa akin,” he said.

He also told his wife, Marielle Cammayo, and mother, Cecilia Cammayo, not to worry too much about him. Cammayo also asked the two women to pray for his early release from the hands of rebels.

Cammayo also denied military reports that he was shot and wounded during the fighting with rebels.

“Sa akin asawa na si Marielle Cammayo at sa akin nanay na si Cecilia Cammayo, nais kong malaaman ninyo wala akong tama o kaya ay nasugatan doon sa nangyaring enkuwentro at alam ko ngayon na hindi maayos ang inyong pagiisip dahil sa kaiisip sa akin. Nasa maayos akong kalagayan ngayon at sana ay ipagdasal natin na mapaaga ang aking paglaya sa kamay ng NPA,” he said in the last part of the clip.

Aris Francisco, spokesman of the NPA's Alejandro Lanaja Command, accused the 3rd Special Forces Battalion to which Cammayo's unit belongs, as responsible for the series of violations to human rights, protocols of war and international humanitarian law in Compostela Valley province.

He said the Special Forces masterminded the June bombing in Nabunturan town that wounded several innocent civilians. “The bombing was a desperate and fascist attack in response to the sparrow operations of the NPA which killed two of their soldiers at that time,” he said.

The NPA also tagged Special Forces members as behind the brutal murder in June of a peasant leader Noli Llanos in Nabunturan's Mipangi village, where rebels killed three government soldiers; and also the killing of farmer Diego Encarnacion in the village of Linda in Nabunturan town in July. Both farmers were accused by the military as NPA supporters.

The military denied all NPA allegations.

Aside from Cammayo, the NPA is also holding Police Officer 3 Eduardo Tumol, a member of the 1105th Provincial Mobile Group, who was arrested on November 5 by rebels at a checkpoint in the village of Baogo in Davao Oriental’s Caraga town.

Tumol's commander, Chief Inspector Angel Sumagaysay, and another policeman were able to escape from the rebels. Rigoberto Sanchez, a rebel spokesman, said Cammayo and Tumol are both being investigated for possible human rights violations and other crimes related to the operations of the Special Forces and the Provincial Mobile Group in Mindanao.

The NPA, armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), is fighting the government the past four decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. Peace talks between Manila and the CPP-NPA collapsed in 2004 after both sides failed to sign an agreement ending hostilities in the countryside. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippine soldiers capture NPA rebel camp in Midnanao

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 28, 2008) – Government troops captured a rebel encampment of the communist New People’s Army after a firefight that left one soldier wounded in the southern Philippines, officials said Friday.

Officials said the troops seized the camp in Mount Diwata in Compostela Valley’s Monkayo town late Thursday afternoon. The mountain is a known gold rush area in the province, a stronghold of NPA rebels in Mindanao Island.

An army commander said villagers allegedly tipped off the soldiers about the presence of the rebels. Troops assaulted the camp, sparking a firefight that wounded infantryman Larry Plana.

“This discovery of the NPA encampment was attributed to the locals who informed us of the presence of NPAs in their village,” said Maj.Rolando Rodil, commander of the 25th Infantry Battalion, who led the assault against the rebels.

Rodil said a still undetermined number of NPA gunmen were believed killed or wounded. “The NPAs believed to have suffered casualties as the troops seen scattered bloodstains in the said encampment and at their route of withdrawal,” he said.

He said troops also recovered about 40 meters of wire used for claymore mine, sacks of rice and canned goods, including tents and subversive documents.

“The rebels are believed to be members of the Sentro de Gravidad of Guerilla Front 25 of the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee. The encampment, which can accommodate 50 persons, is the improvised explosive manufacturing center of the NPA,” Rodil said.

Government forces are pursuing rebels holding a police officer and a Special Forces commander who were both captured by the NPA in separate attacks in Mindanao.

The rebels said Police Officer 3 Eduardo Tumol, a member of the 1105th Provincial Mobile Group and First Lieutenant Vicente Cammayo, commander of a Special Forces unit, are being investigated for possible human rights violations and other crimes committed against innocent civilians.

Tumol was arrested on Nov. 5 after stopping a police car at a checkpoint in the village of Baogo in Caraga town in Davao Oriental, while Cammayo had been captured Nov. 19 by rebel forces after a firefight in Monkayo town in Compostela Valley province.

The NPA, armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), is fighting the government the past four decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. Peace talks between Manila and the CPP-NPA collapsed in 2004 after both sides failed to sign an agreement ending hostilities in the countryside. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippine Rebels Arrest Police Officer

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 27, 2008) – Communist rebels on Thursday announced they are holding a police officer as prisoner of war after they seized him in Davao Oriental province in the southern Philippines.

The rebels said Police Officer 3 Eduardo Tumol, a member of the 1105th Provincial Mobile Group, was arrested on Nov. 5 after stopping a police car at a checkpoint in the village of Baogo in Caraga town.

Tumol’s commander, Chief Inspector Angel Sumagaysay, and another policeman were able to escape before rebels could arrest them, said Jumabok Kadyawan, a spokesman for the New People’s Army-Antonio Nerio Antao Command.

“Sumagaysay's cowardly flight and desertion of his subordinates only proves his serious accountability. The 1105th PMG is part of the brigade-sized combat formation of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police that launched offensive military operation during the past month in Boston and Cateel towns in Davao Oriental, which resulted in the displacement of civilians, destruction of livelihood and several cases of human rights violations,” Kadyawan said.

He said the rebels also seized an M16 automatic rifle and a KG9 sub-machinegun, including a .45-caliber pistol from the police.

“As a prisoner of war, PO3 Tumol will undergo an investigation by the revolutionary government for possible human rights violations and crimes against the people. In accordance with the rules of war, international protocols and laws of the revolutionary government, the Front 15 Committee assures the humane treatment of POW Tumol and will release him if he is found not guilty of grave offenses,” Kadyawan said.

Aside from Tumol, the NPA is also holding First Lieutenant Vicente Cammayo, commander of the Army Special Forces, who was captured Nov. 19 by rebel forces after a firefight in Monkayo town in Compostela Valley province.

The rebels said Cammayo is also being interrogated for possible human rights violations and other crimes related to operations of the Special Forces in Mindanao.

Kadyawan said rebel offensives would continue despite ongoing government anti-insurgency campaign in the restive region. The military repeatedly said that the NPA fighting capability is diminishing because of the government offensives.

“Military actions and tactical offensives of the Red fighters shall continue in Caraga to frustrate the unwarranted military operations of the enemy and punish the fascist elements of the AFP and PNP who are mainly serving the greedy interests of capitalists and those in the reactionary power.”

“The successful action by the people's army debunks once more the declaration of the fascist AFP and PNP that the revolutionary government has already been weakened,” he said.

The NPA, armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), is fighting the government the past four decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. Peace talks between Manila and the CPP-NPA collapsed in 2004 after both sides failed to sign an agreement ending hostilities in the countryside. (Mindanao Examiner)

Troops exhume remains of rebel killed in clash in Mindanao

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 19, 2008) – Philippine soldiers exhumed Wednesday the remains of a communist rebel who was killed in a clash with government forces in Mindanao.

Army officials said the slain rebel, Arnel Visagas, was among those who were killed in the fighting in Casoon village in Compostela Valley’s Monkayo town on November 7 and troops are still searching for the other graves.

Lt. Kurt Decapia, public affairs chief of the 10th Infantry Division, said Visagas’ family sought the help of the military to find the remains of the rebel so they can give it a proper burial. “Arnel Visagas was a member of Sentro de Gravidad, Guerilla Front 3 and his cadaver was exhumed in the presence of his parents,” he said.

He said Visagas joined the New People’s Army (NPA) in 1996 when he was 20 years old. “Field reports revealed that there were other NPA members who were hastily buried like Arnel Visagas,” Decapia said.

Visagas’ group is holding 1st Lieutenant Vicente Cammayo as prisoner of war after his unit clashed with rebels. Two soldiers and government militia was also killed in the fighting, Decapia said.

“The (army) Command will pursue its offensive without let-up (against the NPA) and will eventually rescue Lt. Cammayo,” he said.

Rigoberto Sanchez, a rebel spokesman, said Cammayo, commander of the Special Forces unit, is being interrogated by the NPA’s Alejandro Lanaja Command, for possible human rights violations and other crimes related to operations of the Special Forces in Mindanao.

He said Cammayo's rights as prisoner of war are being respected by rebels, but warned that any rescue attempt would put the officer’s life in peril. “The only cause of POW Cammayo's safety being imperiled emanates from the 10th Infantry Division's futile attempt to mount a rescue operation,” he said.

Aris Francisco, spokesman of the NPA's Alejandro Lanaja Command, accused the 3rd Special Forces Battalion to which Cammayo's unit belongs, as responsible for the series of violations to human rights, protocols of war and international humanitarian law in Compostela Valley province.

Francisco said the Special Forces masterminded the June bombing in Nabunturan town that wounded several innocent civilians. "The bombing was a desperate and fascist attack in response to the sparrow operations of the NPA which killed two of their soldiers at that time," he said.

The NPA also tagged Special Forces members as behind the brutal murder in June of a peasant leader Noli Llanos in Nabunturan's Mipangi village, where rebels killed three government soldiers; and also the killing of farmer Diego Encarnacion in the village of Linda in Nabunturan town in July. Both farmers were accused by the military as NPA supporters.

The NPA, armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines, is fighting the government the past four decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. The military denied all accusations against the. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippine rebels capture Army Special Forces commander

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 16, 2008) – A commander of the Philippine Army’s elite Special Forces, who went missing last week after a fierce firefight with communist rebels, is being held captive in Mindanao, a rebel spokesman said Sunday.

Rigoberto Sanchez, an NPA spokesman, said rebel forces are holding 1Lt. Vicente P. Cammayo, commander of the 11th Special Forces Company. “He was taken as an NPA prisoner of war,” Sanchez said, adding, the Alejandro Lanaja Command is holding Camayo captive.

Cammayo’s group clashed with rebels Nov. 7 in Compostela Valley's Monkayo town that left two army soldiers and a government militia dead in the village of Casoon.

“The smashing blow the Alejandro Lanaja Command of the New People’s Army delivered on an enemy unit touted as the regime's elite combat forces is a testament to the increasing military capabilities of the NPA. It is an apt punishment to the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the fascist and corrupt Arroyo regime for the grave atrocities it has committed and continues to commit against the Filipino masses,” Sanchez said.

Army Maj. Gen. Jogy Leo Fojas, commander of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division, said the offensive against the NPA will not stop until the rebel group is neutralized.

“Our troops will not get tired of running after the NPA bandits,” he said. “We will never stop until we get hold of Camayo and return him to his loved ones.”

Sanchez warned any rescue attempt would put Cammayo’s life in peril. “The only cause of POW Cammayo's safety being imperiled emanates from the 10th Infantry Division's futile attempt to mount a rescue operation,” he said.

He said Cammayo is being interrogated for possible human rights violations and other crimes related to operations of the Special Forces in Mindanao.

Sanchez said Cammayo’s rights as prisoner of war are being respected by rebels.

“His rights as a POW are guaranteed in consonance with the NPA's Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points of Attention and Protocol II of the Geneva Convention,” he said. “We assure his wife and family that he is well and is adapting to the guerrilla conditions of his captivity.”

The rebels also seized an M60 machine gun and two M16 and one M14 automatic rifles from Cammayo’s unit during the fighting.

Aris Francisco, spokesman of the NPA’s Alejandro Lanaja Command, accused the 3rd Special Forces Battalion to which Cammayo’s unit belongs, as responsible for the series of violations to human rights, protocols of war and international humanitarian law in Compostela Valley province.

Francisco said the Special Forces masterminded the June bombing in Nabunturan town that wounded several innocent civilians. “The bombing was a desperate and fascist attack in response to the sparrow operations of the NPA which killed two of their soldiers at that time,” he said.

The NPA also tagged Special Forces members as behind the brutal murder in June of a peasant leader Noli Llanos in Nabunturan's Mipangi village, where rebels killed three government soldiers; and also the killing of farmer Diego Encarnacion in the village of Linda in Nabunturan town in July. Both farmers were accused by the military as NPA supporters.

The NPA, armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines, is fighting the government the past four decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)