ARREST OF EVELYN CRUZ BEDAÑA & JOSEPHINE GAMMAD PEREZ A DESPERATE AND CONDEMNABLE ACT BY THE AFP

Ka Diego Wadagan
Spokesperson
Agustin Begnalen Command
June 27, 2003

Last June 23, 2003 at Barangay Bakakeng, Baguio City, Evelyn Cruz Bedaña and Josephine Gammad Perez were arrested by combined elements of the Military Intelligence Group and of the 17th Infantry Batallion, 503rd Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Philippnies (AFP). They all alleged to be high-ranking leaders of the NPA, Bedana allegedly being the secretary of Ilocos-Cordillera Regional Committee (ICRC), while Perez is the alleged political officer of the ICRC's Komiteng Larangang Gerilya Sinag. They were charged with all the unsolved cases attributed to the NPA, including some cases that the NPA never claimed responsibility for.

The 17th IB's lack-luster performance in combat operations and humiliation in the recent NPA attack near their headquarters at Lagangilang and the MIG's amateurish intellegince work have victimized Miss Bedaña and Miss Perez, both being innocent civilians whose physical and medical conditions alone could hardly pass the NPA criteria for recruitment.

Included in their charge sheet are the deaths of Conrado Balweg, Sta. Lucia, Ilocos Sur Mayor Teodoro Hernaez, Tineg, Abra Mayor Clarence Benwaren, and various alleged NPA-initiated killings in Ilocos Sur, the bombings of a telecommunications tower in Ilocos Sur and the Marcos Bust in Tuba, Benguet, and the May 16, 2003 ambush on a contingent of the 17th IB in Lagangilang, Abra. They are also charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives for planted evidences that were supposed to have been recovered in their possession which includes 2 handguns, bombing paraphernalias, and anti-government documents; evidences that Miss Bedana and Miss Perez could hardly carry as they were just walking when accosted by the combind elements of the MIG and the 17th IB, 503rd Brigade.

It will be recalled that 14 individuals were also arrested, charged and released for the death of Conrado Balweg; the names of Miss Bedaña and Miss Perez was never in the list of those charged, while the others were released due to their innocence. Also, unlike the deaths of Conrado Balweg and Mayor Hernaez, it will be recalled that no NPA unit ever claimed responsibility for the death of Mayor Benwaren.

The Agustin Begnalen Command condemns the arrest of Evelyn Cruz Bedaña and Josephine Gammad Perez. They should immediately be released. ###

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