The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) belied the claim of the Philippine National Police and Marcos regime that they have arrested Prudencio Calubid, a commader of the New People’s Army (NPA), on December 7 in Barangay Gordon Heights, Olongapo City. Party information officer Marco Valbuena said this was not possible as the Arroyo regime abducted and disappeared Calubid in 2006.

“We firmly denounce the Marcos regime…for the false claim [and] we condemn the arrest of the unidentified elderly,” Valbuena said. It is clearly motivated by the ₱7.8 million bounty money placed on Calubid’s head by the military and police, he said.

According to the PNP, they arrested the said senior citizen under “Oplan Pagtugis” (hunt) and “Oplan Salikop” (encircle). They allegedly spent a month of surveillance to arrest him. Calubid is said to be charged with cases of robbery with double homicide, damage to property, and 15 counts of murder.

“Calubid was abducted and disappeared by military agents in 2006. He was taken along with his wife, Celina Palma, Ariel Beloy, Antonio Lacno and his niece Gloria Soco,” Valbuena said. Their vehicle was blocked on an isolated stretch of highway in Sipocot, Camarines Sur as they were travelling south. A witness saw how they were handcuffed, blindfolded and forced into separate vehicles.

On June 26, 2010, the Party honored Calubid and his comrades abducted by state forces. The Ang Bayan special issue illustrated the sufferings of the victims while in the butchers’ custody. “In two days, all abductees suffered severe torture in the military safehouse. They heard each others’ torture ordeal. Instead of succumbing, they valiantly confronted their suffering,” according to the said issue.

Antonio Lacno (Ka Goyong), one abductee who escaped from soldiers’ custody, narrated the full details of the Arroyo regime’s heinous crimes against the victims.

Valbuena said “The PNP’s claim also seeks to whitewash the crimes of the Armed Forces of the Philippines over the abduction and enforced disappearance of Calubid and the Sipocot 5.” He emphasized that this is a grave insult and mockery of the families’ nearly two-decade-long quest for justice and their struggle to find their disappeared loved ones.

Valbuena added the fabrication is also part of the coordinated PR offensive of the Marcos regime to desperately conjure the image of having completely defeated the people’s revolutionary armed resistance. This is related to the regime’s readjusted target to end the revolutionary movement by the end of 2024.