National Democratic Front -Philippines National Council

 

Press Statement

25 November 1999

 

NDFP CONDEMNS THREATS OF ESTRADA REGIME
AGAINST NDFP NEGOTIATORS AND CONSULTANTS

In the strongest terms, we condemn the systematic attempts of the Estrada regime to threaten the lives and liberty of the negotiators, consultants and staffers of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) who became known to the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) in the course of the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations.

Among the menacing actions of the military, police and paramilitary personnel of the Estrada regime are the following:

1. The abduction and manhandling of NDFP political consultant Vicente Ladlad in June 1999.

2. The press announcement of the military that the AFP chief of staff has approved a wanted list and offers of reward money for the arrest and neutralization of NDFP negotiators, consultants and staffers, including the following:

2.1 Negotiators: Luis Jalandoni, Fidel Agcaoili, Asterio Palima, Coni Ledesma and Jojo Magdiwang

2.2 Consultants: Jose Maria Sison, Antonio Zumel, Julieta de Lima, Sotero Llamas, Danilo Borjal, Maria Lourdes Villanueva-Borjal, Jose Luneta and Rafael Baylosis

2.3 Staffers: Ruth de Leon, Aldo Gonzalez and Teodoro Lansang

3. The ceaseless surveillance and harassment of NDFP general counsel Atty. Romeo T. Capulong and his fellow human rights lawyers in the Public Interest Law Center.

4. The representations made by the GRP department of foreign affairs to the Dutch government for the expulsion of NDFP chief political consultant Jose Maria Sison and other Filipino residents in the Netherlands.

5. Threatening visits by military officers on the families of Danilo Borjal, Maria Lourdes Villanueva-Borjal, Aldo Gonzalez and Jose Luneta.

6. The circulation of a psywar leaflet, signed by the Vigilantes for Democracy, blacklisting known and suspected NDFP personnel who live abroad, demanding their expulsion from Europe (Netherlands, Germany and Sweden) and threatening their lives.

The grave threats to the lives and liberty of the NDFP negotiators, consultants and staffers are part of the escalating human rights violations being perpetrated by the Estrada regime.

The Estrada regime has terminated the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations because it has a gangster notion that the revolutionary movement can be destroyed by a cunning and treacherous policy of repression.

We call on the Filipino people to be vigilant and militant against the regime's campaigns of repression. These are depicted by the regime as being directed against the revolutionary movement but the overall objective is to intimidate the entire people.


National Executive Committee
National Democratic Front of the Philippines


Certified by: Luis G. Jalandoni
Member, NDFP National Executive Committee