MILITARY TO RED CONSULTANTS:‘Surrender or be arrested’By DEMPSEY REYESTHE ARMED Forces of the Philippines on Sunday told consultants of the National Democratic Front (NDF) previously given safe conduct passes to surrender or be arrested anytime, now that peace negotiations have ended. Gen. Edgard Arevalo, military spokesman, said that following President Rodrigo Duterte’s announcement ending peace talks with the communists, the passes, which granted immunity from arrest when the peace talks were on, had been cancelled. “They should surrender themselves because their safe conduct passes have effectively been revoked and if they refuse to surrender voluntarily, they may be arrested validly anytime,” he added. Arevalo in 2017 disclosed that the military had begun tracking the whereabouts of NDF consultants with safe conduct passes. Last week, an NDF consultant was arrested by police and military operatives in Imus, Cavite identified as Renante Gamara and his companion, Arturo Joseph Balagat, a retired Catholic priest.

Source: Manila Times March 24, 2019 16:07 UTC