CPP/NDF: NDFP Negotiator Denounces Surveillance and Harassment

Posted to the PRWC Blog (Aug 5): NDFP Negotiator Denounces Surveillance and Harassment

National Democratic Front of the Philippines
Monitoring Committee
5 August 2013

NDFP Panel Member Fidel V. Agcaoili denounces the brazen surveillance and harassment conducted against him by two motorcycle-riding men last Monday along EDSA while en route to Quezon City.

At about 1:30 p.m. on 29 July 2013, a man riding a blue motorcycle had been observed evidently following him and his companions while riding a van officially designated for the NDFP Nominated Section in the Joint Secretariat of the Joint Monitoring Committee.  Along the way, the man was joined by another rider on board a red motorcycle.  Both continued to follow Agcaoili’s vehicle even after they had taken evasive moves in an attempt to convey to the motorcycle-riding men that they had been noticed.

To evade any potential untoward incident that would prejudice his safety and security and that of his companions, they decided to enter a private subdivision along EDSA in Makati.  At the gate of the subdivision, they informed the guard about the two motorcycle-riding men tailing them.  The guard blew a whistle to alert his companions who were about to accost the two when the latter turned around and counter-flowed against the traffic.  They were stopped by two guards at the end of the queue of cars.  But the two slipped away before they could be questioned and identified.

In a letter to the GPH Negotiating Panel, Agcaoili protested the surveillance and harassment conducted against him by the two motorcycle-riding men as a blatant violation of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG).  Only GPH personnel would have the temerity to do what they did.

As a member of longstanding of the NDFP Negotiating Panel, Agcaoili is protected by the JASIG from surveillance and harassment, among others, and is allowed free movement to conduct consultations and even meet with GPH officials.

Agcaoili is in town to conduct consultations, meet with friendly forces open to the resumption of the peace negotiations, and get the real sense of the GPH Principal regarding the same.  His being subjected to surveillance is a deliberate violation of the JASIG and clearly manifests the GPH’s contempt and lack of respect for all previously signed agreements with the NDFP, particularly the JASIG.

Once again, the NDFP firmly demands GPH's faithful compliance with the JASIG and to desist from any and all actions that would contravene its objectives aimed to "facilitate the peace negotiations, create a favourable atmosphere conducive to free discussion and free movement during the peace negotiations, and avert any incident that may jeopardize the peace negotiations."

This latest incident may be tantamount to eventually sabotaging the peace negotiations indefinitely. The NDFP finally raises its serious concern that this incident, on top of the continuing multifarious violations of the JASIG by the GPH, would further aggravate the current impasse in the peace negotiations which was practically killed by the intransigence, bellicosity and capitulationist intentions of the GPH.

Reference:
Marissa P. Dumanjug-Palo
Head of Secretariat
NDFP-Nominated Section
Joint Secretariat
Tel.: +632-7252072
Tel/Fax.: +632-7251457
Emal: ndfp_jsection@yahoo.com

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