Statement

We demand the immediate release of NDFP peace consultant Wigberto Villarico

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) condemns in the strongest terms the Marcos regime and its armed agents for the arrest yesterday morning in Quezon City of Wigberto Villarico, who serves as peace consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.

The Party demands that Villarico’s rights be respected and that he be immediately released. All trumped up charges against him must be immediately withdrawn. We demand that he be accorded his right to his own lawyer, and to a doctor of his choice.

Villarico is 68 years old and suffers from various ailments and is in need of medical attention. He suffers from spondylitis, hypertension, heart arythmia, asthma, prostate enlargement and others.

As a consultant of the NDFP for peace negotiations, Villarico has been actively drawing attention to the the issues, concerns and demands of workers, peasants and minority people, students and other sectors in Southern Tagalog. His arrest and detention, along with his companion Marjorie Lizada, was carried out at the height of a tropical storm which he was closely monitoring to help advise the NDFP’s forces in organizing organizing and mobilizing assistance and resources to those in need.

Being a peace consultant of the NDFP, Villarico is protected by the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG). He holds documents identifying him as such. Under the JASIG, the Philippine government agreed not to subject consultants, personnel, and staff members of the NDFP to surveillance and arrest.

The arrest of Villarico is in blatant disregard of the JASIG. The military and police responsible for Villarico’s arrest must be held responsible for this violation. In line with the JASIG, Villarico, as well as Liza must be immediately released.

Villarico is the third peace consultant of the NDFP imprisoned by the Marcos government over the past few weeks. Earlier this month, military and police forces arrested and detained NDFP Peace Consultant Porferio Tuna in Tagum City, Davao del Norte. A few days ago NDFP Peace Consultant Simeon Naogsan or Ka Filiw of the Cordillera People’s Democratic Front was arrested in Ilocos Norte.

Without a doubt, the successive arrests of NDFP peace consultants were carried out with the aim of derailing efforts to revive the NDFP-GRP peace negotiations, at a time that both sides are working hard to forge ahead, based on the Oslo Joint Declaration of November 2023. Clearly, some elements within the Marcos regime do not want these efforts to succeed.

We demand that Villarico, Tuna and Naogsan, and other peace consultants of the NDFP be released immediately in order for them to participate in efforts to revive peace negotiations.

We demand the immediate release of NDFP peace consultant Wigberto Villarico