‘Arrest of NPA officer’ bone of contention over P500,000 reward money

BAGUIO CITY – Police claimed they “arrested” a suspected intelligence officer of the New People’s Army operating in the Cordillera with a P500,000 reward on his head, but according to his lawyer, he surrendered.

Police are not revealing who got the reward money but Chief Supt. Eugene Martin, Cordillera police director, said Jose Cawiding, 42, alias “Ka Willy” and “Ka Kielo,” married, and resident of Barangay Hillside here was arrested during a police operation while he was walking along Abanao Road here.

Operatives of the Regional Investigation and Intelligence Division headed by Supt. Jess Cambay, Regional Intelligence Office, 1603rd Provincial Police Mobile Group and intelligence operatives of Benguet reportedly nabbed Cawiding.

Martin said Cawiding was tagged as the present intelligence officer of the KLG Marco of the CPP-NPA operating in Mt. Province, Abra and Benguet.

But Imelda Tabiando, chief of the Baguio-based Cordillera Human Rights Alliance, an affiliate of the national human rights umbrella group Karapatan told local media Cawiding was falsely linked to the NPA.

A press statement of the militant Cordillera People’s Alliance said Cawiding is the Secretary General of the Metro Baguio Tribal Elders Assembly and is also local mediator of the Supreme Court Philippine Mediation Center.

Previously, he has reportedly served as a former coordinator of Bayan Muna for Baguio-Benguet and long-time community organizer at the mining communities in Itogon town, Benguet before becoming an accredited mediator.

But Cordillera police said, the alleged NPA leader, has a standing warrant of arrest docketed under CC Nos 179, 1751, 1753, 1754 and 1755 issued by Judge Artemio Marrero of Regional Trial Court branch 35, 1st Judicial Region in Bontoc, Mt. Province.

Without bail recommended for his temporary freedom, Benguet police director Sr. Supt. Moro Lazo said, Cawiding will be brought to the court in Mountain Province for him to face trial.

His lawyer Randy Kinaud of the Cortes Law Office told media Cawiding, who traces his roots from Sadanga town, in Mountain Province actually “surrendered” through his villagemates to clear his name via court proceedings.

“Actually, we have been filing motions on his cases even before that “surrender,” if only for these cases to move on.”

“Naturally, he will now have to face these cases while in jail,” Kinaud said.

The CPA said, “Cawiding has been falsely accused to be a member of the NPA and charged, together with other alleged NPA members, with eight counts of murder and one frustrated murder.

These charges were related to a July 14, 2003 ambush of Armed Forces of the Philippines troops staged by members of the NPA operating in Mt. Province.”

Shortly after the incident, the NPA reportedly issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack.

At the time of the ambush, the CPA said, Cawiding was far away, in Baguio City, participating in the Bayan Muna National Council meeting.

Three years later, in 2006, Jose Cawiding was reportedly among those listed in the AFP's Order of Battle, and was targeted for extra- judicial killing.

He and his wife, Jeanette Ribaya-Cawiding, leader of Tongtongan Ti Umili (People's Forum), were reportedly subjected to intense military surveillance for three months.

Through the help of their neighbors, they reportedly evaded an assassination attempt against them.
Cawiding has also been an active leader of the Cordillera mass movement for more than two decades.

He started as a leader of the urban poor youth in Baguio city, and later became an organizer of the Itogon- Interbarangay Alliance, which spearheaded resistance to the Benguet Corporation's open pit mining operation.

Later, he joined the CPA elders-desk and became active in the electoral process as Bayan Muna coordinator of Benguet Province.

“Considering Cawiding's solid alibi, his arrest and detention is clearly politically motivated attempt to intimidate the people's mass movement,” the CPA press statement said. “With this alarming development, it is imperative for us to raise a public outcry denouncing this incident as a transgression of human rights. We cannot allow political prosecution and extra judicial killings to continue. We shall remain ever vigilant and demand that the government respect our human rights and fundamental freedoms.” – By Alfred Dizon, Mar Supnad and Liam Anacleto