2 farmers' leaders arrested in Central Luzon —group

Police arrested two leaders of farmers’ groups in separate operations in Pampanga and Tarlac provinces on Tuesday, according to Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP).

In a statement, KMP, which condemned the arrests, said the operations  targeted regional leaders of farmers' organizations in Central Luzon.
The group identified the Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luzon (AMGL) leader and KMP Vice Chairperson Joseph “JC” Canlas and BAYAN-Central Luzon and Workers Alliance of Region III (WAR-3) leader Pol Viuya.

Police Brigadier General Albert Ferro, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), told GMA News Online that the arrests were part of the Nationwide Simultaneous Anti-Crime and Law Enforcement Operation.

According to KMP, Canlas is a long-time peasant leader in Central Luzon and  also the Vice President for Luzon of Anakpawis Partylist. It also said Canlas actively criticized the Department of Agriculture’s fertilizer fund scam amid the pandemic last year.

Canlas and Viuya were brought to Camp Olivas in San Fernando, Pampanga, according to KMP.

Before their arrests, KMP said the Canlas and Viuya were persistently red-tagged and vilified in tarpaulins and posters branding them as recruiters of the New People's Army (NPA).

"The Duterte regime knows nothing but to repress the people," KMP National Chairperson Danilo Ramos said in a statement.

"Farmers have been demanding aid and production subsidy as the pandemic and economic crisis rages, yet it has repeatedly attacked legitimate peasant leaders and organizations," he added.

Based on a police report, the CIDG personnel implemented a search warrant against Canlas for violation of the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act. Aside from this, police said a warrant of arrest for malicious mischief was also issued against him.

Police said confiscated items from Canlas were the following:

• a caliber 45 Armscor with defaced serial number
• a chamber loaded with one live ammuniton and inserted with one mag assembly loaded with six pieces live ammunition for caliber 45, c.
• 11 pieces live ammunition for caliber 45, inserted in 1 black inside holster
• a fragmentation grenade
• assorted documents

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According to Police Regional Office 3, Viuya was arrested by authorities during the implementation of a search warrant for violation of Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.

The police said they confiscated the following items during the raid:

• a caliber 45 pistol without brand name and serial number
• a piece of live ammunition for caliber 45, inserted with one piece magazine assembly for caliber 45
• five pieces live ammunition for caliber 45
• nine pieces live ammunition for caliber 9mm
• a fragmented hand grenade
• assorted documents

Ferro said one of the guidelines of PNP chief Police General Debold Sinas was to  conduct intensified police operation against criminal gangs and private armed groups connected to local terrorist groups.

“Take away the instruments violence from the hands of those who perpetrate it n commit heinous crimes as a means to advance their criminal activities,” he told GMA News Online in a message.

On March 7, nine activists were killed while six others were arrested in simultaneous police operations in Calabarzon after state forces elements conducted simultaneous implementation of search warrants against “communist terrorists.”

According to Police Regional Office 4A, the authorities recovered explosives and several firearms, allegedly from target individuals.

Several progressive groups decried the deadly crackdown, saying that it comes on the heels of President Rodrigo Duterte's speech where he told government forces to kill suspected rebels without regard for human rights. —KBK/BM, GMA News