Suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels operating in northeastern Mindanao have released three personnel of a mining firm abducted from a site in Agusan del Sur, according to a police spokesman.
 
Earlier reports said the NPAs sought P25 million for the release of Christopher Ocite, operations manager of VPO Mining; Gani Altaya, assistant operations manager; and Joel Jayuma, the company’s security chief.
 
Malacañang on Saturday condemned the abduction the mining firm personnel and demanded their immediate release.
 
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the abduction came amid hopes that peace talks with the NPA, Communist Party of the Philippines and National Democratic Front would resume soon.
 
“We condemn the acts of the NPA in ... engaging in extortion and kidnapping activities,” Lacierda said on government-run dzRB radio.
 
Also, he said the Palace is hoping the CPP-NPA-NDF will not harm civilians especially those not involved in one way or another in the talks.
 
Lacierda also cited reports that the CPP-NPA-NDF again renewed its demand to release its so-called consultants.
 
“Ang dami nilang ginagawang obstacles to derail the peace talks (They are setting up so many obstacles to derail the peace talks),” he said.
 
Besides, he said both sides had agreed from the start that the talks would have no preconditions.
 
Government panel chairman Alexander Padilla led a small delegation to Oslo last week to meet with the leadership of the NDF, on the invitation of the Norwegian government.
 
“After such a long impasse marked by distrust and misunderstanding, this is a welcome development, an opportunity for a new beginning. We look forward to more meaningful discussions with the hope that it will lead to productive formal talks,” he said in a statement posted on the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process. — ELR, GMA News