Statement of the CPP Mindanao Commission on the Status of Four Spies in Far South Region

Mindanao Commission
Communist Party of the Philippines
April 05, 2005

The revolutionary movement reaped victory when the Far South Region of Mindanao served revolutionary justice on the four spies it captured on September 5, 2001 for the crimes they have committed against the people and the revolution. By carrying it out, we have prevented the enemy from utilizing the intelligence data gathered by the spies, from inflicting damage on the revolutionary movement and from further wrecking havoc on the lives and properties of the people in the areas concerned.

The four enemy spies were meted out the maximum penalty of death on September 6,2002, carried out by the Valentin Palamine Command of Far South Region. The sentence was carried out after a thorough investigation and trial by the regional court of the people's democratic government in Far South Region, whose decision was unanimous and was affirmed also unanimously by a higher court of the people's democratic government which reviewed the case and took into account the appeal made by the convicted prisoners.

The four accused were found guilty beyond reasonable doubt of conducting espionage against the people and the revolutionary forces. In their trial, they were provided with lawyers of their own choosing and they freely raised their points. During their detention and trial, they were accorded humane treatment.

The affirmation by the higher court of the lower court's decision and the rejection of the appeal of the four convicts were based on the following:

The four were not ordinary enemy informers in the barrio with no or only petty crimes against the revolutionary movement. They had long been active counter-revolutionary elements who had led and implemented a major intelligence project in order to inflict damage and destroy the NPA and the revolutionary movement.

It was established and admitted by Sgt. Rosete that he was an intelligence officer of the Military Intelligence Group 12, Intelligence Service of the AFP, and working under Col. Victor Corpuz, then head of ISAFP. He also admitted being responsible for building an intelligence network in the areas of Columbio and Tampakan, all of South Cotabato province.

It was also established that the other three prisoners had long been working together with Rosete in espionage work. Through their network, the fascist AFP was able to inflict severe damage on some comrades and peasant revolutionaries. Other peasant sympathizers of the revolution who had been exposed by them to the enemy cannot anymore continue with their normal means of livelihood.

.From the time of their arrest, they continued to gather information about the revolutionary movement and continued to confer with one another on a plan to escape. Sgt. Rosete encouraged the three to escape, with instructions to reveal to the enemy all that they had known in the area and place of detention. They committed to memory the faces and names of comrades, names of the areas, number of firearms and personnel, and terrain.

The attempted escape of Maldecir and Sorongon on June 4, 2002 clearly demonstrated their criminal liability and intent to pursue their evil plans against the revolutionary movement.

The four showed no remorse in their actions or a desire to rectify what they had done. In the investigations and court proceedings it was evident that they were withholding much information and were misleading the comrades in their statements.

Before the four spies were submitted to the trial, the NDF called for negotiations with the GRP (Government of the Republic of the Philippines) regarding the status of the four. We even asked the help of high ranking church people of the Catholic Church and the media to hasten this process. But the GRP spurned our call and instead launched large-scale rescue military operations in the areas resulting in the death of some comrades and peasants and grave damages to the masses in the area, and even jeopardizing the lives of the four prisoners who were supposed to be their own men. To name a few of our martyred comrades and sympathizers: Ka Ligaya and Ka Asyed, Roland Bacus, Ronel Bacus, Rolando Neros, Ricardo Dulay, Mostillo Gabay, and Leonardo Sagot. Those wounded were Ka Juliet, Marivic Ayuba, and Juanito Solitrino.

Several times enemy 105 howitzer bombs and helicopter gunship rockets rained in the vicinity of the mobile detention camps and large enemy patrols came near the place but the NPA custodial force made sure that the lives of the captured spies were safe and secure.

The GRP and its military arm, the AFP, showed no concern for their own agents.

The delay in this announcement is due to circumstances beyond our control. The exigencies of war made this happen. We had in our mind only the interest and welfare of the people in the concerned areas who must not suffer further devastation from enemy attacks.

We would also like to reiterate the fact that in the country today there exist two governments with their own justice systems-the GRP, serving the interests of imperialists and big comprador-bourgeoisie and landlord classes, and the people's democratic government, serving the broad masses of oppressed, exploited, downtrodden people. The revolutionary justice system operating in the areas covered by the people's democratic government upholds the interests of the broad masses of the people and observes the protocols of war. On the other hand, that of the GRP is notorious for being paid, corrupt and anti-poor.